Small Bowel Obstruction Caused by an Aberrant Congenital Band in a Child

Small bowel obstruction due to congenital band is not only rare in children, but also difficult to diagnose, because common symptoms such as vomiting and abdominal pain are observed in patients. In order to prevent a fatal result, an anomalous congenital band should be considered in the discriminative diagnosis of intestinal obstruction in children who have no previous experience of operation or intraperitoneal inflammation. This report presents a 4-year-old boy who was admitted with abdominal pain and nonbilious vomiting for a day. The initial suspicion was for acute gastroenteritis. However, after further investigation and performance of surgery, the intestinal obstruction associated with a congenital band was confirmed. No recurrence was observed during the 8-month follow-up period. Thus early confirmation based on radiologic study is a crucial factor for the diagnosis of small bowel obstruction caused by a congenital band. (Pediatr Gastroenterol Hepatol Nutr 2012; 15: 188∼192)