This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 4 more pages before signing in

Clinical features

Authoring team

The child with pyloric stenosis usually presents at 3 to 4 weeks of age. In rare instances symptoms may be present at or soon after birth, but this condition rarely presents for the first time in infants over the age of 12 weeks.

The classic symptom of this condition is projectile vomiting. The vomitus does not contain bile and the child remains hungry and takes food immediately after vomiting.

There is a failure to gain weight and, as a result of dehydration, the baby is generally constipated with the stools resembling the faecal pellets of a rabbit. Note though that constipation is not always a feature of a child presenting with infantile pyloric stenosis.

The infant may be dehydrated with visible peristalsis of the dilated stomach in the epigastrium. 95% have a palpable pyloric mass (shape and size of an olive) which is felt in the right upper abdomen, especially after vomiting. A few cases will present with haematemesis.


Create an account to add page annotations

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.