Conservative management of infantile pyloric stenosis by nasoduodenal feeding.

Fifty cases of infantile plyoric stenosis were treated conservatively by transpyloric nasoduodenal tube feeding. The mean age on admission was 38.2 days. Transpyloric intubation was carried out in all patients and 45 (90%) with infantile pyloric stenosis were cured by nasuduodenal feeding. Among 5 (10%) requiring surgical intervention, abandonment of nasoduodenal feeding was the cause in only 3, and the parents chose an operation in the remaining 2 a few days after nasoduodenal feeding had been started. In non-surgically cured cases (45), mean body weights on admission and at discharge were 3,750 g and 5,177 g respectively; the duration of nasoduodenal feeding was 8 to 37 days (mean 17.2 days), mean weight gain during nasoduodenal feeding was 42.7 g/day and mean hospital stay was 39.7 days (38.0 days in 43 cases without any associated disorder). This experience suggests that nasoduodenal feeding in this report is a more effective treatment for infantile pyloric stenosis than any traditional medical treatment and it could be the preferred management in the small group of patients for whom an operation could carry a high risk, or whose parents refuse operation.