Delayed Presentation of Duodenal Atresia in a Male With Trisomy 21

• Published in: Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 14; no. 1; p. e21700
• Main Authors: Sega, Annalisa G, Meckmongkol, Teerin, Westmoreland, Tamarah
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Cureus Inc 28-01-2022; Cureus
• Subjects: Abdomen; Anatomy; Case reports; Congenital diseases; Gastroenterology; Hypertension; Intestinal obstruction; Patients; Pediatric Surgery; Small intestine; Surgery; Ultrasonic imaging; Vomiting; emesis; embryogenesis; obstruction; congenital malformation; intestinal atresia
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.21700

The duodenum is the secondmost common site of congenital intestinal obstruction. There are three types of congenital duodenal atresia according to the severity of obstruction. Duodenal atresia is thought to develop due to the failure of recanalization of the gut lumen during embryonic development. This congenital abnormality usually presents in utero or shortly after birth with signs of intestinal obstruction. However, rare cases can present later in life. In this case report, we will discuss a two-year-old male with trisomy 21 who presented with intractable vomiting and failure-to-thrive. He did not have the classic clinical or diagnostic signs of duodenal atresia, but on exploratory laparotomy, he was found to have severe duodenal stenosis. Diamond-shaped duodenoduodenostomy was performed to bypass the stenosed intestine. The patient recovered well from surgery and was able to tolerate a soft mechanical diet without vomiting one week postoperatively. This case exhibits a particularly delayed and atypical presentation of duodenal stenosis. Yet, it is imperative to recognize this presentation from an educational and clinical standpoint for surgical intervention.