[Experiences in small intestine intubation in pediatric surgery].

An account is given in this paper of intestinal intubation, the most promising approach at present to postoperative ileus. Reference is made to causes and to preventive methods used in the past. Classical techniques and their variants are described, with peculiarities being mentioned together with possible complications. Positive results have enlarged the list of intraabdominal diseases in which cases intubation should be justified. Fifteen children died out of 55 with intestinal intubation. However, those deaths could not be attributed to intubation, since no ileus was recordable on post-mortem from any of these cases. They were rather attribute to pre-existence of general damage or to postoperative complications which had unfavourable effects primarily on prematurely born children, newborns, and infants up to one month of age. Hence, intestinal intubation may be considered to be the most effective and least risky approach to the control of mechanical or combined paralytico-mechanical ileus.