Meconium pseudocyst revisited

Abstract

Meconium peritonitis is defined as a sterile chemical or foreign-body peritonitis that is caused by escape of meconium from the intestinal tract into the peritoneal cavity during the fetal or perinatal period. Although meconium peritonitis is indicative of intrauterine perforation of the intestine, it may occur as early as the 4th to 6th month of INTRA NATAL life and as late as several hours after birth. It can be classified into three pathological variations: fibro-adhesive; cystic and generalized. The cystic type has a meconium filled pseudocyst that may rupture in the peritoneal cavity. Intra-abdominal calcification is pathognomonic for the diagnosis. Here, author reported a classical case of meconium peritonitis with pseudocyst formation, which was treated successfully conservatively.