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Pyloric stenosis: an enigma more than a century after the first successful treatment

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Abstract

Despite hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (HPS) being one of the most frequently treated pediatric surgical conditions, its etiology remains incompletely understood. We review the diagnosis and treatment of this condition with an emphasis on the evolution of surgical techniques that led to laparoscopic pyloromyotomy, the most frequently performed technique for HPS today. In addition, we review key developments in the understanding of HPS etiology and treatment, including the postulated etiology of work-induced hypertrophy of the pylorus, its association with prokinetic macrolide antibiotics, and the emerging role of atropine sulfate as a medical treatment for HPS or a rescue treatment for incomplete myotomy.

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Acknowledgements

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Pl, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA

    Yousef El-Gohary, Abdelhafeez Abdelhafeez, Ankush Gosain & Andrew J. Murphy

  2. Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA

    Elizabeth Paton, Ankush Gosain & Andrew J. Murphy

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  1. Yousef El-Gohary
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  2. Abdelhafeez Abdelhafeez
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  4. Ankush Gosain
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Correspondence to Andrew J. Murphy.

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El-Gohary, Y., Abdelhafeez, A., Paton, E. et al. Pyloric stenosis: an enigma more than a century after the first successful treatment. Pediatr Surg Int 34, 21–27 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00383-017-4196-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00383-017-4196-y

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