Intussusception is a form of bowel obstruction in which one segment of intestine telescopes inside of another. Although it can occur anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract, it usually occurs at the junction of the small and large intestine. Intussusception is usually caused by a virus that produces swelling of the lining of the intestine, which
Read moreHypertrophic pyloric stenosis (HPS) is an abnormal thickening of the pylorus muscle through which food and other stomach contents pass into the small intestine. The thickened pyloric muscle causes a narrowing of the pyloric channel. As a result, breastmilk or infant formula feedings cannot pass out of the stomach into the small intestine. What are
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Hirschsprung’s disease is a congenital (present at birth) disease of the large intestine in which there is an absence of special nerve cells – called ganglion cells – that affect the muscles in the intestine. In healthy people, these muscles contract to push stool to the anus, where it leaves the body. People with Hirschsprung’s
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Gastroesophageal reflux is a digestive disorder that affects the lower esophageal sphincter (the muscular ring connecting the esophagus with the stomach). The sphincter normally prevents food from moving out of the stomach and back up into the esophagus. When a person has gastroesophageal reflux, the sphincter muscle becomes weak or fails to close tightly,
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Esophageal atresia (EA) is a congenital (present at birth) abnormality of the esophagus in which the upper portion of the esophagus ends in a blind pouch and is disconnected from the lower portion of the esophagus. In the most common form of esophageal atresia, which occurs in more than 85 percent of all cases, the
Read moreAn umbilical hernia is an abnormal bulge, or protrusion, that can be seen or felt over the belly button (the umbilicus). An umbilical hernia develops when a portion of the intestine, along with fluid, bulges through the muscle of the abdominal wall. Umbilical hernias in children result from a weakness in the abdominal wall that
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