atresia of small intestine

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Disease Overview

Atresia of small intestine is a special form of intestinal atresia with absence of mesentery, which is most likely due to an intrauterine intestinal vascular accident. Newborns are usually preterm infants with low birth-weights, that encounter feeding difficulties (including vomiting with initial feeds, which may later worsened and the abdomen becomes progressively distended) as well as failure to thrive. Affected children present disrupted bowel loops assuming a spiral configuration resembling an ‘apple peel’ and may have less than half of the normal length of the small bowel and a physiologically short bowel. Atresia of small intestine is characterized by jejunal atresia near the ligament of Treitz, foreshortened bowel, and a large mesenteric gap. The bowel distal to the atresia is precariously supplied. Atresia of small intestine may be a manifestation of cystic fibrosis. The most important cause of mortality is short bowel syndrome, encountered in 65% of cases.


Synonyms

  • APSB
  • Jejunal Atresia
  • Jejunoileal atresia
  • apple peel small bowel syndrome
  • apple peel syndrome
  • apple-peel intestinal atresia
  • atresia of the small intestine
  • congenital atresia of the small intestine
  • congenital small intestine atresia
  • familial apple peel jejunal atresia
  • intestinal atresia type IIIb
  • jejunal atresia
  • small intestinal atresia
  • small intestine atresia

GARD Disease Summary

The Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD) has information and resources for patients, caregivers, and families that may be helpful before and after diagnosis of this condition. GARD is a program of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

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Orphanet

Orphanet has a summary about this condition that may include information on the diagnosis, care, and treatment as well as other resources. Some of the information and resources are available in languages other than English. The summary may include medical terms, so we encourage you to share and discuss this information with your doctor. Orphanet is the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research and the Health Programme of the European Union.

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OMIM

Online Mendelian Inheritance In Man (OMIM) has a summary of published research about this condition and includes references from the medical literature. The summary contains medical and scientific terms, so we encourage you to share and discuss this information with your doctor. OMIM is authored and edited at the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

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