Abstract.
Background: A number of severe gastrointestinal disorders in infancy and childhood may require the formation of an enterostomy as a crucial part of the treatment of the disease itself. This study reviews our pediatric patients with regard to the morbidity and mortality of enterostomy formation and closure over an 8-year period. Patients and methods: Sixty-eight enterostomies in infants and children and 60 consecutive enterostomy closures in retrospect are reported on. This includes colostomies, jejunostomies, ileostomies, and Mikulicz procedures. Results: In most instances, a transverse colostomy was performed. The most frequent indications were intestinal obstruction and necrotizing enterocolitis. More than half of the children were less than 1 month of age at the time of surgery. We observed an overall complication rate of 38.2% following enterostomy formation, with stoma prolapse being the most common, but faced major complications (such as sepsis, peritonitis, and enterocutaneous fistula) in only 10.3%. Complications after enterostomy closure were encountered in 20%. The overall mortality was 7%. Conclusion: Enterostomy formation and closure in the pediatric age group with severe underlying disease is still associated with substantial morbidity.
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Electronic Publication
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Steinau, .G., Ruhl, .K., Hörnchen, .H. et al. Enterostomy complications in infancy and childhood. Langenbeck's Arch Surg 386, 346–349 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/s004230100243
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s004230100243