BLIND LOOP SYNDROME IN CHILDREN - MALABSORPTION SECONDARY TO INTESTINAL STASIS

Four examples of the blind loop syndrome are described to emphasize that it occurs more commonly in children than has been recognized in the past. Clinically, the condition is similar to that in adults, with the additional feature of stunting of growth. We report the occurrence of malabsorption secondary to stasis, after correction of proximal intestinal atresia, even without a mechanical basis for obstruction. Studies of a child in whom a congenital anomaly was the cause of intestinal malabsorption are included to emphasize the particular importance of these defects in the causation of the blind loop syndrome in children.