Congenital atresia and stenosis of the intestine, exclusive of the pylorus, the rectum and the anal canal, are relatively rare and, according to Webb and Wangensteen,1 occur in about one of twenty thousand infants.
Congenital atresia and stenosis are encountered less often in the colon than in the small intestine. Stenosis is the more uncommon of the two.
Atresia is defined as a congenital absence or pathologic closure of a normal opening or passage, whereas stenosis is the term applied to the narrowing of any canal.
Many cases of congenital atresia and stenosis in various parts of the colon have been reported. A search of the literature revealed only two authentic reports of cases of congenital stenosis of the entire colon (Kuliga2 and Cole3). Two cases are reported here.
REPORT OF CASES
Case 1.—History.—B., a white girl born on March 10, 1937, was admitted to