Pyloric Stenosis
Alternate Names : Gastric Outlet Obstruction, Hypertrophic Pyloric Stenosis, Congenital Hypertrophic Pyloric Stenosis
How is the condition diagnosed?
The healthcare provider will do a physical exam and take a full history. The healthcare provider may ask such questions as:
When did symptoms start?
How much has the baby been drinking at each feeding, or how long does he or she nurse at each feeding?
How much time elapses after a feeding before the baby vomits?
Does the vomit come out gently down the baby's face or come out with force, as with projectile vomiting?
What does the vomit look like? Is there any bile?
The healthcare provider may be able to feel a small mass in the upper right side of the baby's abdomen. Blood may be taken from a vein, and a chem-7 blood test may reveal a salt imbalance. A blood test called a complete blood count, or CBC, may reveal high hemoglobin and hematocrit counts, indicating an increase in the amount of iron and blood volume. An abdominal ultrasound usually confirms the diagnosis of pyloric stenosis. Sometimes, x-rays of the upper gastrointestinal tract, called an upper GI series, may be done.
|
Previous section
