Significance of ultrasound for the diagnosis of hypertrophic pyloric stenosis

The sonographic features of hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (HPS) were evaluated in a 5-year prospective study (1981–1985) at the University Clinic of Pediatric Surgery in Mainz. In 37 cases real-time ultrasound was performed preoperatively to measure muscle thickness, diameter, and length of the pylorus; the recorded values were compared with those of a control group. Muscular wall thickness proved to be the most reliable parameter, while pyloric canal length was the most difficult measurement to obtain. Diameter alone was not adequate to establish the sonographic diagnosis, which depends on the individually and functionally different luminal width and submucosal thickness. Significant sonog…