Ladd’s Syndrome in Newborns

Ladd’s syndrome is a violation of intrauterine intestinal rotation. The midgut remains fixed at one point at the origin of the superior mesenteric artery. As a result, conditions are created for the occurrence of a volvulus around the root of the mesentery and acute strangulation intestinal obstruction develops. Ladd’s syndrome includes three features: a high position of the caecum dome, duodenal hyperfixation, and lack of mesenteric fixation. In newborns, this condition is manifested by acute complete high strangulation intestinal obstruction, up to the development of shock. Examination for suspected Ladd’s syndrome should be comprehensive and include a survey abdominal radiography, abdominal ultrasound, gastric and duodenal radiography with oral contrast, irrigography. The article considers clinical cases of Ladd’s syndrome in newborns at the age of 3 and 5 days of life. Echograms made in B-mode using color Doppler sonography are presented. The high informativeness of ultrasound diagnostics for the detection of this syndrome in newborns with a clinic of bile vomiting is shown. In one of the observed cases, a pathognomonic echographic symptom of midgut volvulus was established (a whirlpool sign). In the second observation, a clearly defined vascular ring was not detected due to 180° torsion, which was subsequently confirmed intraoperatively.

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