device. Abstract Aspiration of meconium produces a syndrome characterized by hypoxia, hypercapnia, and acidosis. Perinatal hypoxia, acute airway obstruction, pulmonary inflammation, pulmonary vasoconstriction, pulmonary hypertension, and surfactant inactivation all play a role in the pathogenesis of meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS). Most aspiration of meconium probably occurs before birth. Fo...

INTRODUCTION Giant meconium cyst resulting from antenatal bowel perforation is rare and hardly reported in multiple gestations. We found only four documented cases in the electronic literature. CASE PRESENTATION We report a giant meconium cyst in an 11-hour-old Nigerian boy of a discordant twin having ultrasonographic and plain radiographic diagnosis and surgical confirmation. Increasing abdo...

BACKGROUND Exposure to organochlorine compounds (OCs) has been a subject of interest in recent years, given their potential neurotoxicity. Meconium is easily available and accumulates neurotoxicants and/or metabolites from the 12th week of gestation. AIMS To determine whether neurotoxicants, specifically OCs, could be detected in serially collected meconium, and to compare the results with th...

BACKGROUND In term newborns meconium ileus is frequently associated with cystic fibrosis. Reports on meconium ileus in preterm infants being diagnosed with cystic fibrosis early after birth are very scarce. Associations between genotype and phenotype in cystic fibrosis and its particular comorbidities have been reported. CASE PRESENTATION Two extremely preterm twin infants (26 weeks of gestat...

The presence of meconium is associated with a higher incidence of abnormal labor, fetal distress, low apgar scores and delivery by cesarean section.1 It has been estimated that as many as 8 to 16% of pregnancies may be complicated by the presence of meconium in amniotic fluid.2 Meconium aspiration may occur antepartum or intrapartum. Meconium aspiration syndrome develops when there is mechanica...

Biliary atresia, malrotation, meconium peritonitis and transient hypothyroidism are occasionally seen in neonatal infants. Biliary atresia associated with malrotation has been reported in some patients with polysplenia syndrome, but biliary atresia associated with meconium peritonitis has only been described by a few investigators. Here we present a case of meconium peritonitis due to malrotati...

We evaluated coproporphyrin in the first urine passed by newborn infants with and without meconium aspiration, by spectrophotometric analysis and thin-layer and "high-performance" liquid chromatography. Urines of newborn infants without meconium aspiration contained only very small quantities of coproporphyrin, detected, after partial purification, by "high-performance" liquid chromatography. U...

Plasma endothelin 1 concentrations were determined in infants with meconium stained amniotic fluid. Plasma endothelin 1 concentration in the study group (5.23 pg/ml) was statistically higher than that in the control group (1.12 pg/ml). Cord blood pH and base excess values were significantly lower in infants with meconium stained amniotic fluid when compared with the control group. There was no ...

OBJECTIVE To investigate fetal exposure to toxic metals [lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd)] and fetal levels of trace elements [zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and iron (Fe)] in newborns from an industrial city. Relationships between meconium mineral contents and parental occupation and location of residence were also tested. METHOD The meconium mineral contents of 117 healthy newborn infants were measured by ...