ABSTRACT
Binninger was the first to describe colonic atresia in 1673. The first survivor was reported in 1922, when Gaub opened a diverting colostomy in a child with an atresia of the sigmoid colon. Atresia of the colon is a rare cause of bowel obstruction in the neonate. The incidence of colonic atresia in live births has been difficult to ascertain, but an incidence of approximately 1 in 20,000 live births has been considered to be realistic based on the experience in major pediatric surgical centers. Colonic atresia is probably the result of intrauterine vascular insufficiency. The finding of bile, squamous epithelium, and hair in the bowel distal to the atresia supports the hypothesis that the vascular accident occurs late in development. Neonates with colonic atresia present with symptoms of distal bowel obstruction. Abdominal distension is usually present at birth, but otherwise develops over the first 24-48 hours of life.
