Management of Patent Vitellointestinal Duct in Infants

Objectives This study was undertaken to investigate and review the clinical presentation, surgical procedures executed, and the final outcome of infants managed for the patent vitellointestinal duct. Materials and Methods This is a single-institution, retrospective study and included infants who were operated for the patent vitellointestinal duct. This study was conducted at author’s Department of Paediatric Surgery during the last 20 years; from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2019. Results A total of 24 infants were operated for the patent vitellointestinal duct during the study period and comprised 20 (83.3%) boys and 4 (16.6%) girls. The age of infants ranged from 7 days to 10 months, with a mean of 88.41 ± 64.9 days. Twenty-three (95.8%) infants were operated within 6 months of the age, 17 (70.8%) of them were operated within 3 months of the age. Only one (4.1%) infant was operated at the age of 10 months. Among 24 infants, 13 (54.1%) were presented with features suggestive of acute intestinal obstruction and remaining 11 (45.8%) were presented with fecal discharges through the umbilicus without intestinal obstruction. Among 13 infants who presented with acute intestinal obstruction, 12 had prolapsed bowel and 6 of them also had gangrenous bowel. Operative procedures were executed (n = 24) in the following order of frequency: (1) resection of patent vitellointestinal duct, wide wedge resection of ileum,and ileal repair (n = 13, 54.1%); (2) resection of patent vitellointestinal duct, small segment of ileum, and ileoileal anastomosis (n = 9, 37.5%); and (3) resection of patent vitellointestinal duct, segment of ileum, and an ileostomy (n = 2, 8.33%). Postoperatively, two (8.3%) infants developed anastomotic leak and peritonitis one each, later on, both of them died. Conclusion Patent vitellointestinal duct not only present with fecal discharges through the umbilicus but half of the infants presented with prolapsed bowel and with features of acute small bowel obstruction. Delay in seeking treatment for such cases was associated with considerable morbidity and mortality and therefore the patent vitellointestinal duct should be excised at the earliest.

Complete evagination of a patent vitellointestinal duct and adjacent ileal limbs from an omphalocele sac: an extreme presentation

Vitellointestinal duct (VID) anomalies have been described extensively in the literature. However, an everted VID with prolapse of ileum arising from an omphalocele is rare, and its appearance at birth can be alarming and can present a diagnostic challenge. We describe a baby born to a teenage diabetic mother who was noted to have a strange exophytic mass arising from the abdominal wall. Antenatal scans had revealed multiple other malformations but not an omphalocele. He was operated on early, and the diagnosis of a patent VID with prolapse of the ileum arising from an omphalocele was only confirmed intraoperatively. The duct was resected, the ileum closed primarily and primary closure of the abdominal wall was performed without tension. He recovered well postoperatively. A brief review of similar cases is included.