ABSTRACT
Jejunoileal atresia, defined as a congenital defect in continuity of the small bowel, is a common cause of intestinal obstruction in the newborn. In 1889, Bland Sutton postulated that atresia occurred at the site of "obliterative embryological events", and he quoted atrophy of the vitelline duct. A classification system for familial intestinal atresia has been proposed that suggests that most cases result from disruption of a normal embryologic pathway in the development of the superior mesenteric artery and its branches. In atresia type I, the dilated proximal and collapsed bowel are in continuity, and the mesentery is intact. In atresia type II, the proximal bowel terminates in a bulbous blind end, which is grossly distended and hypertrophied for several centimeters and is often hypoperistaltic. In atresia type IIIa, the appearance is similar to that in type II, but the blind ends are completely separate.
