Meconium Ileus: Immediate and Long-term Survival

The results of surgery for meconium ileus obstruction (37 cases) at Queen Elizabeth Hospital for Children, London, during the years 1953 to 1970 are presented. The surgical survival was 30% in the years 1953 to 1961, and 70% in the years 1962 to December 1970, inclusive. The long-term survival was 57%. Complications, such as small bowel atresia, gangrene, and meconium peritonitis, were associated with a higher mortality. The adoption of the Bishop Koop operation in 1962 coincided with the increase in the survival rate. An association between meconium ileus and hypertrophic pyloric stenosis was noted.