Infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis: a 4-year experience from two tertiary care centres in Cameroon

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to describe the clinical characteristics of patients with infantile hypertrophic stenosis, management and its outcome in two tertiary care centres in Cameroon. RESULTS: A total of 21 patients were included from the two centres. The mean age at presentation was 5.2 ± 1.2 weeks, predominantly male with a male-to-female ratio of 4.25:1. The triad of vomiting, visible peristalsis and palpable mass was present in only 7 (33.3%) of the participants. The diagnosis was confirmed with ultrasounds in all participants. Ramstedt pyloromyotomy was done in all participants and in 9.5% of the participants it was complicated by intra-operative duodenal perforation whereas in the postoperative period the most common complications were vomiting (6, 28.6%), sepsis (2, 9.5%), and paralytic ileus (2, 9.5%). The mortality rate from the series is 9.5%. According to univariate logistic regression: severe dehydration [OR = 5.41, 95% CI = (3.11–6.97), p = 0.002], hypokalaemia [OR = 2.63, 95% CI = (1.02–5.91), p = 0.042] and surgical site infection [OR = 3.12, 95% CI (1.22–5.64), p = 0.023] were the main predictors of mortality whereas postoperative hospital length of stay > 5 days was significantly associated with surgical site infection [OR = 2.44, 95% CI = (1.12–6.44), p = 0.002] and postoperative nausea and vomiting [OR = 3.64, 95% CI = (1.18–6.64), p = 0.022].