Congenital Obstruction of the Small Intestine

This paper is based on a study of sixty cases of congenital intestinal obstruction occurring in the Children's Hospital of Boston. Only those cases are included in which the obstruction was located in the small intestine and was due to one of two factors. Intrinsic obstruction is the interference in the continuity of the lumen of the intestine due to intraintestinal defects. Extrinsic obstruction is the interference in the function of the intestine by external pressure due to faulty rotation. Obstruction caused by bands which may or may not be of congenital origin and that, due to hernias and the vagaries of Meckel's diverticulum are not included. EMBRYOLOGY To understand these conditions one must consider the normal embryologic development of the intestine. Most of the embryologic events take place between the fifth and tenth weeks of fetal life. Prior to the fifth week of fetal life the intestine presents a