Imaging of Neonatal Upper Gastro-Intestinal Atresia Beyond the Esophagus in Correlation with Surgical Findings

Background: Neonatal intestinal atresia is commonly encountered congenital anomaly in the early days of life. Imaging is important for early diagnosis. Objective: This study was conducted for detecting radiological findings of different types of upper gastro-intestinal atresia (other than esophageal atresia) in correlation with surgical data. Patients and Methods: From April 2009 to April 2014, 38 neonates (21 boys and 17 girls) were diagnosed as upper gastro-intestinal atresia (excluding esophageal atresia) were referred for abdominal ultrasound, abdominal X-Ray and contrast imaging were done to identify the level of obstruction. All cases were managed surgically by one pediatric surgeon in the Pediatric Surgery Unit at Sohag University Hospitals. The radiological data were correlated with surgical diagnosis. Other causes of small intestinal obstruction were excluded from the study. Results: Our study included 38 neonates. Twenty five of them were diagnosed to have jejuno-ileal atresia (JIA) (13 jejunal and 12 ileal), 10 cases with duodenal atresia (DA) and 3 cases with pyloric atresia. Radiological examinations were diagnostic in all cases and consistent with surgical findings. Conclusion: Intestinal atresia is an important entity to be diagnosed by radiological imaging and managed early by suitable surgical repair.