Congenital hypertrophic pyloric stenosis: the role of gastrin reevaluated.

In order to evaluate the potential role of gastrin in the etiology of pyloric stenosis, serum gastrin levels were measured in cord blood of affected infants, matched controls, and mothers of both. No differences were identified when values from infants with pyloric stenosis were compared with those from control infants. Mean cord serum gastrin levels of the infants were significantly greater than the mean maternal gastrin levels. The data effectively dismiss the possibility that elevated serum gastrin concentration in mother or infant at the time of delivery can be implicated as a cause of pyloric stenosis.