Meckel's diverticulum (MD) occurs in approximately 2 % of the population. The major complications of MD are bleeding, intestinal obstruction, infection and perforation. Perforation is the least common but most serious complication, the incidence od which is about 5-10 %. The causes of perforation are inflammatory diverticulitis and peptic ulceration. the purpose of study is to review the characteristics of perforated MD in children. Six patients with perforated MD who had been operated upon at the Department of Pediatric Surgery, Yeungnam University Hospital from April 1984 to July 2001 were included. Male predominated in a ratio of 5:1 and there were 2 neonates. The chief complaints were abdominal pain and distension. Half of the children showed a past history of bloody stools. The average age was 4 year and 9 months. The mean distance from the ileocecal valve to the diverticulum was 60 cm. Average length of the diverticulum was approximately 3 cm and width was 1.7 cm. The perforation site was the tip of the diverticulum in 3 cases, the base in 2 cases and along the lateral border in one. In two patients, ectopic gastric mucosa was found in the specimen. All of the patients were operated upon with a diagnosis of peritonitis of unknown etiology. In conclusion, when a child shows symptoms of acute abdomen or peritonitis, especially in boys, with the history of bloody stools and episodic abdominal pain, perforated MD should be suspected.

Seventy neonates with congenital intestinal atresia and stenosis who were treated at pediatric surgical service, Hanyang University Hospital from September 1979 to December 1996 were analyzed retrospectively. The lesion occurred in 27 cases at the duodenum, in 26 cases at the jejunum, in 13 cases at the ileum and in 2 cases at the pylorus and colon each. There were 10 multiple atresias and 7 apple-peel anomaly cases. The atresia predominated over the stenosis by the ratio of 4 : 1. Male to female ratio was 1.3 : 1. The average gestational age was 38 weeks, and the average birth weight was 2,754 grams. Though 22.9 % were borne prematurely and 34.3 % had low birth weight, 92.3 % of them had a weight appropriate for gestational age. Polyhydramnios(40 %) was more frequently observed in duodenal and jejunal atresia while microcolon in ileal atresia(58.3 %). Weight loss and electrolyte imbalance occurred more frequently in the duodenal stenosis cases because of delayed diagnosis. Twenty(55.6 %) of 37 jejunoileal atresia cases had evidence of intrauterine vascular accident: 4 intrauterine intussusception, 3 intrauterine volvulus and 3 strangulated intestine in gastroschisis, and 10 cases of intrauterine peritonitis. There were one or more associated anomalies in 45 patients(64.3 %). Preoperatively proximal loop volvulus developed in 3 cases and proximal loop perforation in 5 cases and one case each of distal loop perforation, duodenal perforation and midgllt volvulus occurred in the jejunoileal atresia. Overall mortality rate was 20 %.