Infantile Hypertrophie Pyloric Stenosis—Congenital or Acquired?^*

Abstract

Three cases of IHPS are presented in which an ulcer or a local irritant was an associated factor. Mucosal irritation leading to pyloric and antral spasm and then to muscular hypertrophy and obstruction is a possible explanation for the pathogenesis of the disease observed in these three infants. A review of the literature also leads us to conclude that IHPS is an acquired disease with a genetic or familial predisposition. Peptic ulcer may be an etiologic factor in some instances; however, the presence of a small ulcer is difficult to demonstrate in the majority of clinical cases.