Duplications of the alimentary tract in infants and children

Abstract

Background: Duplications of the alimentary tract are known for their embryonic, anatomical, clinical, and pathologic variations. Summarizing the features of these lesions would reveal these characteristics and guide appropriate management. The objectives of this study are to describe the clinical features and characteristics of all cases of duplication of alimentary tract managed at a tertiary center.Materials and Methods: A retrospective study on all cases of duplications of the alimentary tract managed at a tertiary center from July 2015 to June 2020 (5 years) was conducted after approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee. Data regarding history, demographic details, symptoms, clinical features and investigation results, and intraoperative and histopathologic findings were collected from the hospital records and analyzed.Results: Twenty-eight cases of duplication were managed during this period. They had different locations (esophageal-5 [cervical-2 and thoracic-3], gastric-1, jejunal-3, ileal – 11, cecal-3, appendicular-2, colorectal-1, rectal-1, and posterior anal canal-1) and site-specific symptoms but definite histopathology with evidence of adjacent gastrointestinal tissue on microscopic examination. Unique cases included cervical esophageal duplication, bleeding ileal duplication (ID) with heterotopic mucosa, ID with bezoar, jejunal duplication with malrotation, appendicular duplication with type 2 pouch colon and anorectal malformation, rectal duplication, and posterior anal duplication. Case-specific management ensured minimal complication without any mortality.Conclusion: Variable location and site-specific symptoms necessitate individualized case-specific management of duplication anomalies. Histopathology confirms both native and heterotopic gastrointestinal tissues and is indispensable for the diagnosis.