aetiology of neonatal obstruction
Last reviewed 01/2018
Causes of neonatal gastrointestinal obstruction include:
- atresia of any part of the gastrointestinal tract
- blockage, for example with meconium
- failure of normal peristalsis, for example in Hirschsprung's disease
- strictures, for example secondary to necrotising enterocolitis - although this is likely to be later
- intussusception may occasionally occur in the neonate
Later in the neonatal period other conditions should be considered, including pyloric stenosis.