MASSIVE RESECTION OF INTESTINE IN INFANCY

Summary A case of massive resection of intestine is presented in whom 20 centimetres of jejunum was anastomosed to the transverse colon. After six months in hospital, the transit time of a carmine marker from mouth to anus was only thirty minutes. The management of this case is detailed. The definition of massive resection in relationship to infancy is discussed and a new definition suggested. From experimental work and from reported clinical cases it seems that with adequate care, small remaining segments of ileum and jejunum are sufficient for survival, growth and development, provided the terminal ileum, ileo‐caecal valve and colon are intact. If this complex has been excised and the jejunal segment is less than approximately 100 centimetres in length, the use of a Hammer type reversed segment interposed between the jejunal segment and the colon may well be a life‐saving procedure.