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Fetal & Pediatric Surgery (Expert Forum)
distented bowl in fetus
Answered by
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Questions in this forum are answered by pediatric and fetal surgeons from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. This forum is for questions and support about issues such as abdominal and thoracic surgery, minimally invasive surgery, oncologic surgery, trauma surgery, fetal surgery and surgery to treat congenital disorders and malformations.
distented bowl in fetus
by agr82th, Aug 04, 2009 08:54PM
I am 8 months pregnant and the Dr. picked up from ultrasound that the baby's bowl is distented. What possible complication would the baby have when he is born and what are the possible problems he will have? Dr. also mentioned the worst case scenario is the anus might not be properly formed...... Please tell me, a worried mother, what to expect and what to do at this point. Thanks.
Doctor's Answer
by Thane A Blinman, MD, FAAP, Aug 05, 2009 01:55PM
, Aug 05, 2009 01:55PM
Bowel distension in a fetus could mean any of several problems that all have a common origin: some kind of blockage. Things that can cause this include (in no particular order):
--imperforate anus (as your doctor suggested)
--an ATRESIA of the large or small intesting (this is a "gap" in the bowel)
--meconium ileus (from cystic fibrosis) or plug (i.e. from hirchprung's)--this is where the meconium in the bowel becomes too sticky to pass
--malrotation--where the bowel does not turn and adhere into the abdomen in the usual way
--etc (including nothing at all)
You can expect that your doctor will closely follow this baby with ultrasound to see if the problem persists or gets worse. If it does, then you will have a slightly higher chance of the baby coming early (because more amniotic fluid will build up in around the baby, and this extra amniotic fluid tends to hasten the onset of labor). You can also expect that the baby will need evaluation by a pediatric surgeon very soon after delivery (you may wish to ask your doctor what the plan for that will be).
This must be quite alarming to a worried mother to be....but know that the conditions described all have effective treatment that a good pediatric surgeon can offer.
--imperforate anus (as your doctor suggested)
--an ATRESIA of the large or small intesting (this is a "gap" in the bowel)
--meconium ileus (from cystic fibrosis) or plug (i.e. from hirchprung's)--this is where the meconium in the bowel becomes too sticky to pass
--malrotation--where the bowel does not turn and adhere into the abdomen in the usual way
--etc (including nothing at all)
You can expect that your doctor will closely follow this baby with ultrasound to see if the problem persists or gets worse. If it does, then you will have a slightly higher chance of the baby coming early (because more amniotic fluid will build up in around the baby, and this extra amniotic fluid tends to hasten the onset of labor). You can also expect that the baby will need evaluation by a pediatric surgeon very soon after delivery (you may wish to ask your doctor what the plan for that will be).
This must be quite alarming to a worried mother to be....but know that the conditions described all have effective treatment that a good pediatric surgeon can offer.
Member Comments (2)
by agr82th, Aug 05, 2009 08:09PM
To: Thane A Blinman, MD, FAAP
Thank you for the answers. I feel much better now that I know it is not something that we can't fix.
