Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2010 Aug;20(3):227-9.
doi: 10.4103/0971-3026.69366.

Case report: Congenital short bowel syndrome

Lalitha Palle  1 , Balaji Reddy
Affiliations
Case Reports

Case report: Congenital short bowel syndrome

Lalitha Palle et al. Indian J Radiol Imaging. 2010 Aug.

Abstract

Congenital short bowel syndrome (SBS) is a relatively rare condition as compared to acquired SBS. It is associated with significant mortality and morbidity. Infants usually present with failure to thrive, recurrent vomiting, and diarrhea. It is important to suspect and diagnose this condition promptly, as early initiation of parenteral nutrition or surgery, if necessary, may result in a favorable outcome. We discuss a case of an infant aged 26 days, who presented with failure to thrive, recurrent vomiting, and weight loss. A contrast study of the gastrointestinal tract revealed a short small bowel, with malrotation. The infant was started on parenteral nutrition, but succumbed shortly thereafter to severe disseminated sepsis.

Keywords: Congenital; malabsorption; short bowel syndrome.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Frontal radiograph from a barium meal follow-through study shows dilated contrast-opacified small bowel (arrows); gastroesophageal reflux is seen
Figure 2
Figure 2
Frontal radiograph from a barium meal follow-through study shows contrast-opacified short length of dilated small bowel; A, ascending colon; D, descending colon, R, rectum. Rapid transit was noted, with contrast seen in the large bowel within 20 minutes of administration (normal mean transit time is 60 minutes)
Figure 3
Figure 3
Lateral radiograph from a barium meal follow-through study shows the short length of small bowel with rapid transit (contrast is noted in the entire gastrointestinal tract, from the stomach to the rectum)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hamilton JR, Reilly BJ, Morecki R. Short small intestine associated with malrotation: A newly described congenital cause of intestinal malabsorption. Gastroenterology. 1969;56:124–36. - PubMed
    1. Hasosah M, Lemberg DA, Skarsgard E, Schreiber R. Congenital short bowel syndrome: A case report and review of the literature. Can J Gastroenterol. 2008;22:71–4. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Navarro F, Gleason WA, Rhoads JM, Quiros-Tejeira RE. Short bowel syndrome: Epidemiology, pathophysiology and adaptation. Am Acad Pediatr. 2009;10:330.
    1. Siebert JR. Small -intestine length in infants and children. Am J Dis Child. 1980;134:593–5. - PubMed
    1. Sansaricq C, Chen WJ, Manka M, Davis D, Snyderman S. Familial congenital short small bowel with associated defects: A long term survival. Clin Pediatr (Phila) 1984;23:453–5. - PubMed

Publication types