Mesenteric cysts in infancy and childhood.

Of 11 infants and children with mesenteric cysts, seven patients were boys and four, girls. Clinical findings included abdominal distention, pain and vomiting in seven patients, while a movable abdominal mass was noted in four. Two patients presented with peritonitis and one patient, in a state of shock. All patients underwent laparotomy-seven as an emergency procedure. Volvulus with perforation and infarction was noted in the two patients uith peritonitis. Excision of the cyst required resection of the small intestine and end-to-end anastomosis in seven patients, while simple enucleation was possible in four. All 11 patients survived, and there have been neither subsequent complications nor recurrences. Early recognition and appropriate resection of these benign, but occasionally life-threatening, malformations is associated with an excellent long term prognosis.