metrizamide and Infant--Newborn--Diseases

Topics: Child, Preschool; Digestive System; Female; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Newborn, Diseases; Intestinal Obstruction; Male; Metrizamide; Radiography

The finding of a gasless abdomen on the abdominal radiograph of an infant over 12 hr old is usually abnormal and may reflect a serious pathologic disorder. Accurate diagnosis is important to plan appropriate therapy. A careful review of the clinical history and the plain chest and abdominal radiographs will often permit an accurate diagnosis to be made. In cases where the diagnosis remains in doubt, contrast studies of the bowel with metrizamide have proved helpful. This report presents six infants with gasless abdomens of unknown cause. In each case, a metrizamide contrast study of the bowel was helpful in providing an accurate diagnosis.

Topics: Child, Preschool; Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous; Female; Gases; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Newborn, Diseases; Intestinal Obstruction; Intestinal Perforation; Intestines; Male; Metrizamide; Radiography; Urinary Bladder Diseases

Topics: Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous; Female; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Newborn, Diseases; Intubation, Gastrointestinal; Male; Metrizamide; Radiography

Pneumoperitoneum in the neonate may be due to air that has dissected from the chest. Four infants, in whom pneumoperitoneum, from thoracic air dissection, occurred in the absence of pneumothorax or pneumomediastinum are reported. The absence of abnormal collections of air in the chest is of no value in deciding whether a pneumoperitoneum is due to bowel perforation or air dissecting from the chest. Contrast bowel studies are needed in all cases of pneumoperitoneum in the infant to distinguish bowel perforation from intrathoracic origin of the air.

Topics: Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Newborn, Diseases; Intestinal Perforation; Laparotomy; Metrizamide; Pneumoperitoneum; Radiography, Thoracic

Metrizamide (amipaque) has not been used previously as a diagnostic contrast agent in the gastrointestinal tract. Metrizamide is a water-soluble isotonic contrast material having many advantages over barium and existing hypertonic water-soluble agents. There are many clinical situations in children in which metrizamide should be the contrast agent of choice for investigating the gastrointestinal tract. Four neonates are presented in whom barium or gastrografin were absolutely contraindicated. In each case metrizamide gave excellent visualization of the gastrointestinal tract. It could be followed through be bowel giving excellent visualisation even up to 120 h after ingestion. No harmful effects were noted in the four cases studied.

Topics: Barium Sulfate; Contrast Media; Digestive System; Female; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Newborn, Diseases; Male; Metrizamide; Pneumoperitoneum; Radiography