CONGENITAL ATRESIA OF THE INTESTINE

Abstract

Although rare, congenital atresia of the intestine occurs with sufficient frequency to be of clinical importance. Calder¹first called attention to this condition in 1733, and case reports, discussions of etiology, symptomatology and treatment have appeared at intervals since, more frequently during the past quarter century. Attention should be called particularly to the comprehensive discussion of Spriggs²in 1912. He reported twenty-four cases and tabulated 328 others which he found in the literature to that date. In 1922, Davis and Poynter³tabulated about 400 cases which they found in the literature, and discussed their etiology and symptomatology. In the same year, Quinland⁴reported seven cases from this clinic and the Warren Anatomical Museum of the Harvard Medical School, together with twenty cases of imperforate anus. During the past six years, case reports have been published by Shea,⁵Sweet and Robertson,⁶Weeks and Delprat,⁷