Surgical treatment of perforated duodenal ulcer in the newborn; report of a case.

Abstract

Perforation of a gastric or duodenal ulcer and rupture of the stomach or duodenum due to trauma, a defect in the wall of the viscus, or any other cause occur infrequently in the newborn and are clinically indistinguishable from one another. They are usually fatal because of peritonitis, shock, and difficulties encountered in maintaining adequate nutrition and hydration. A suspicion that there may be leakage from the stomach or duodenum into the peritoneal cavity is, therefore, of importance in establishing an early diagnosis and promptly instituting appropriate treatment. The reward in the few instances in which this was done has been the survival of the patient. It is not always possible to recognize perforation of the gastrointestinal tract in the newborn by physical examination. Roentgenographic demonstration of a pneumoperitoneum was, however, the most important diagnostic aid in the treatment of patients who survived early surgery for closure of a leaking