Perforation of the Colon

PERFORATION of the colon in the new-born is followed by a high mortality; it may occur secondary to obstruction, inflammation, or instrumentation.1The first infant known to have survived this condition was reported in 1950 by Lee and MacMillian.4Their patient recovered after repair of perforation of the cecum secondary to atresia of the splenic flexure. Standard9reported the second survivor of perforation of the colon in 1952. However, no obstructing lesion could be found in his patient at operation or thereafter. McLanaghan and Gilmore7reported two more survivors in whom no apparent obstruction was found at operation but the infants died months later from other congenital anomalies. Lyall and Michie6recently reviewed the literature and found reports of only eight neonatal patients who have survived perforation of the colon. Clatworthy2reported nine cases of the meconium plug syndrome in 1956. This characteristic low