This blog provides information about Pyloric Stenosis. In the start, it defines and explains the term Pyloric and why it is used. Then it explains the Pyloric Stenosis disorder in detail. It also mentions the main Causes of Pyloric Stenosis. Then it tells about the common Symptoms of Pyloric Stenosis. It also guides about the Diagnosis of Pyloric Stenosis. Then it briefly explains the Treatment of Pyloric Stenosis. In the end, it tells about the Prevention of Pyloric Stenosis. This blog contains Causes, Symptoms and Treatment of Pyloric Stenosis
What is the term Pyloric?
Pyloric is derived from the word Pylorus. Pylorus is a muscle sphincter that is located at the end of our stomach. It is the exact point where our stomach meets the small intestine. This functions by opening and closing. It closes when your stomach is digesting food and liquid. While, it opens when your stomach relaxes and the food passes into the small intestine.
The proper working of Pylorus is very important for the proper functioning of the stomach and digestive system. Otherwise it can cause severe effects to our digestive system. The term Pyloric is used to mention working of Pylorus in medical language.
What is Pyloric Stenosis?
It is a condition mostly in infants, that pylorus thickens and narrows the way for passing food from stomach to small intestine. This inhibits the complete digestion of the baby by blocking the food into the stomach and not letting it go further for digestion.
Pylorus it important as it is the muscular opening between the stomach and small intestine. If it swells, so the way for the food to proceed to other parts of digestive system is blocked and cause the food to stay in the stomach until it is not treated.
This condition is also called as Hypertrophic Pyloric Stenosis. Hypertrophic elaborates hypertrophy that means thickening. While Pyloric means Pylorus and Stenosis means Narrowing. This condition can cause vomiting and can cause extreme dehydration in babies.
The swelling or narrowing of Pylorus cause the food to get stuck into the stomach. The food may come from the mouth through vomiting but it does not proceed in the digestive system. It cause difficulties in gaining weight in babies because they may have episodes of vomiting because of this condition.
This condition can occur in babies most often, but it can also occur in the older children too. This will be called as Pyloric obstruction i.e. blockage of the pyloric muscle. It mostly occur in older children due to the condition or Peptic Ulcer (Open sores that develops inside the lining of the stomach).
We will study a brief detail on Pyloric Stenosis in this blog. This blog contains Causes, Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention of Pyloric Stenosis.
Causes of Pyloric Stenosis:
Following are the main possible causes of Pyloric Stenosis:
Family history:
The most common and frequent cause of Pyloric Stenosis is the biological Family history of the Patient. This leads 15% of the Pyloric Stenosis Cases in infants.
Race:
Surprisingly, this condition passes within the race more frequently. Pyloric Stenosis is mostly found in white infants and most of the European descent.
Smoking:
The conditions in which the birthing parent have smoked a lot in the pregnancy period so this cause cause digestive disorders to the babies after birth and cause pyloric stenosis.
Antibiotics:
The babies that needs antibiotics immediately after birth, are more at risk of getting Pyloric Stenosis. In some cases, the antibiotics taken by the birthing parent in late pregnancy also cause the child to have this condition.
Feeding:
The babies who are on Formula milk feeding, are most at risk of getting Pyloric Stenosis. While the babies on breastfeeding have less issues than others.
These are the few causes of Pyloric Stenosis.
Symptoms of Pyloric Stenosis:
Following are the common symptoms of Pyloric Stenosis:
Frequent Vomiting
Hunger after feeding
Wave like stomach motion after eating
Dehydration
Abdominal Pain
Weight loss
You may feel mass of sausage in your baby’s stomach.
The symptoms are very common. The parents of the patient comes to know about the disorder when the symptoms are at extreme such as extreme dehydration, jaundice, undernourishment etc. We should be very careful with common symptoms in a baby.
Some babies spit up a little when they are done feeding. It is very normal and considered as healthy in children. But the problem arises in the condition of Projectile and painful vomiting. A painful vomiting is not for taking granted. You should immediately get medical help in this case.
Diagnosis of Pyloric Stenosis:
Following are the tests that we can use for the diagnosis of Pyloric Stenosis:
Physical Exam:
Healthcare professionals perform a physical exam by analyzing the physical appearance of the patient and also the parts of abdomen that are hurting. This can help to know about the problem.
Baby’s Eating Habits:
The eating habits of the baby are disturbed in such conditions. The healthcare professional may ask eating habits related questions from you about your baby in order to diagnose the problem.
Blood Test:
This will help to know more accurately about Body’s internal condition. It identify that if the body of the patient is with enough hydration and the presence of electrolyte imbalance in the body.
Abdominal Ultrasound:
It is also a good way to see the actual problem in a baby’s stomach. Abdominal ultrasound is the internal view of the abdominal region. This helps to identify the stomach issues including Pyloric Stenosis.
Upper Gastrointestinal Series:
When the disorder cannot be diagnosed by any of the method, then GI series is used. In this method, healthcare provider makes the baby drink a special liquid. This liquid is then seen in the X-ray. They notice that how the liquid travels within the digestive system and through stomach. If the liquid passes through the Pylorus, so there is no risk of Pyloric Stenosis.
These are the few methods to diagnose Pyloric Stenosis.
Treatment of Pyloric Stenosis:
Following treatment is to treat Pyloric Stenosis:
Pyloric Stenosis Surgery:
This is the only way to treat extreme Pyloric Stenosis. In this surgery, the baby is on general anesthesia and does not feel anything on his body. The baby will go to a deep sleep and stay asleep throughout the surgery. Then surgeon will examine the right place to put a cut on the left side of the stomach, higher than your belly button. Then they apply Pyloromyotomy . It is the process of making incision in the Pylorus of the patient. This incision cause the food and liquid in the baby to travel from the stomach to the small intestine and the digestive system starts working properly. So, the problem is solved.
Precautions after the Pyloric Stenosis Surgery:
Give a little amount of milk to the babies after few hours of the Surgery.
Consult the complete feeding plan with the surgeon.
By the time baby will start drinking formula milk or breast feed in normal amounts.
Your baby will take his feeding according to the amounts that he can tolerate.
Accurately measure the amount of milk he is consuming.
The baby may vomit after surgery, but this is because of anesthesia, lack of burping or too much food. There is nothing to worry about that.
Use a small tape to cover the incision.
Give your baby a Sponge Bath for three days after the surgery. Don’t make them bath in the Tub.
Use medicine such as Acetaminophen.
These are some precautions after the Pyloric Stenosis Surgery.
Complications in the Pyloric Stenosis Surgery:
There is the list of few complications of the surgery. We should immediately rush towards medical help if any of these conditions occurs:
Bleeding
Swelling around incision
Enlarged Stomach
Frequent and painful Vomiting
Fever
Vomiting contains blood or is dark green in color
Increased pain
Redness of drainage from incision
Fewer Wet Diapers that usual
These are the dangerous complications of the Pyloric Stenosis surgery.
Prevention of Pyloric Stenosis:
There is no proper prevention of Pyloric Stenosis. This condition runs into your family from one generation to another. You must tell your healthcare provider about any family history about this disorder. By knowing the signs and symptoms or by having awareness about it, you can make early treatment possible and can get rid of this disorder before it gets more complicated. This blog contains Causes, Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention of Pyloric Stenosis.
Conclusion:
Pyloric Stenosis is a severe disease mostly found in the infants. The term Pyloric refers to the Pylorus, that is a muscular opening between the stomach and small intestine. Pyloric Stenosis is the condition in which swelling and narrowing of Pylorus cause the food to stay into the stomach and don’t go further in the digestive system. This cause vomiting, dehydration, irritability and many other such symptoms. The diagnosis can be done with the help of Abdominal ultrasound, blood test, disturbance in eating habits etc. Pyloric Stenosis Surgery is the only treatment for Pyloric Stenosis if extreme. In this surgery, doctors apply an incision on the Pylorus to eliminate the blockage. There is not prevention for Pyloric Stenosis but early treatment can help to avoid extreme symptoms and pain. This blog contains Causes, Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention of Pyloric Stenosis.
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