Meconium peritonitis

Meconium peritonitis refers to rupture of the bowel prior to birth, resulting in fetal stool (meconium) escaping into the surrounding space (peritoneum) leading to inflammation (peritonitis). Despite the bowel rupture, many infants born after meconium peritonitis in utero have normal bowels and have no further issues.

Meconium peritonitis
X-ray of a newborn with meconium pseudocyst resulting from bowel perforation. In this case the cause was atresia of the terminal ileum. There is a fine rim of calcification surrounding the big pseudocyst which shifts the other intestinal structures outwards.
Specialty	Pediatrics

Infants with cystic fibrosis are at increased risk for meconium peritonitis.

Signs and symptoms

Diagnosis

Twenty percent of infants born with meconium peritonitis will have vomiting and dilated bowels on x-rays which necessitates surgery.^{[citation needed]}

Meconium peritonitis is sometimes diagnosed on prenatal ultrasound^[1] where it appears as calcifications^[2] within the peritoneum.

Treatment

Adhesiolysis partial resection of pseudocyst covering enterostomy.^{[citation needed]}

History

Meconium peritonitis was first described in 1838 by Carl von Rokitansky.^{[citation needed]}