ABSTRACT
Sabricius Hildanus first described pyloric stenosis in 1646. Harald Hirschprung elaborated on the clinical presentation and pathology of the condition in 1888. At this stage the preferred treatment was medical, using a combination of gastric lavage, antispasmodic drugs, dietary manipulation, and the application of local heat, because the surgical mortality was almost 100 percent. In 1908 Fredet advocated longitudinal submucosal division of the thickened pyloric muscle, but recommended suturing the defect transversely. In 1912 Ramstedt simplified the Fredet procedure by omitting the transverse suturing, leaving the mucosa exposed in the longitudinal subserosal defect. This operation was successful and its essential elements have remained virtually unmodified ever since. Surgery has now completely replaced medical measures for the treatment of pyloric stenosis.
