[Neonatal functional intestinal obstruction of unknown etiology (author's transl)]

Three cases of newborn intestinal obstruction without obvious organic cause are reported. Narrow left colon (Davis's syndrome), small colon, megacystis and intestinal hypoperistaltism (Berdon's syndrome) and segmental bowel dilatation (Swenson's syndrome) were the diagnoses. Through a review of the literature a possible interrelationship among these three clinical entities at the level of an abnormal myenteric plexus neuronal function is discussed.