Special Features of Acute Abdominal Disorders in Children

For the classification of acute abdominal disorders in children, it is convenient to limit the neonatal period to the first 15 days of life for the following reasons: 1. The atretic forms of congenital intestinal obstruction are seen only in the first days of life, because they are incompatible with life beyond that period. 2. Several “acquired” forms of obstruction are extremely rare in the first 2 weeks after birth, such as pyloric stenosis and intussusception.