Can Pyloric stenosis reoccur in infants?

Answer 1

In brief, it can but it is rare if the surgeon concerned is skilled and careful.

The enlargement (hypertrophy) of the pyloric ring muscle in babies does sometimes reoccur after the operation, but there don't seem to have been any studies to find out how often this happens over a significant number of cases. Typically, there are a few recurrences and one death reported in surveys of say about 100 operations in one centre, but other reports admit to very few complications and less than 1:100 deaths.

The surgery (pyloromyotomy) stops the blockage of the stomach outlet by slitting the muscle ring down to but not including the inner lining (omentum) of the gastric passage. Too long or deep a slit opens the gastric passage and must be immediately recognised and repaired to prevent a catastrophic infection setting in. But if the slit in the muscle band is not long enough or if the cut edges are not spread widely enough to let the omentum bulge into the cut, the cut muscle will close, reconnect and can then continue to enlarge as a result of the biochemical process that caused the original swelling.

So IPS can reoccur - but how often depends on the skill and thoroughness of the surgeon concerned, and will vary from one to another.

Answer 2

Pyloric stenosis typically does not recur once it has been successfully treated with surgery in infants. However, in rare cases, it is possible for some complications to arise that may require further medical intervention. It is important to follow up with your child's healthcare provider for proper monitoring and care.