Small bowel obstruction caused by an anomalous congenital band in an infant

Intestinal obstructions resulting from various causes such as Hirschsprung disease, intestinal atresia, meconium ileus, and intussusception are not uncommon in the neonatal period 1, 2) . Most of the intestinal obstructions in the pediatric population result from postoperative adhesion or postinflammatory adhesions or stenosis 5) . However, small bowel obstruction caused by an anomalous congenital band is very rare. During embryogenesis, abnormal adhesion of the peritoneal folds can induce congenital bands as anomalies of the mesenterium that can cause intestinal obstruction 3, 5) . This report presents a 27-day-old male infant who was admitted with abdominal distension and fever that started 3 days before the admission. The initial suspicion was for sepsis. However, after further evaluation the diagnosis of intestinal obstruction due to a congenital band was confirmed. An anomalous congenital band should be included in the differential diagnosis of intestinal obstruction in infants.