Abstract
An 8-month-old boy was admitted to our hospital owing to his vague symptoms such as vomiting, pale face and groaning. After the hospitalization, his abdominal distension deteriorated consistently and the findings of abdominal enhanced computed tomography suggested gastrointestinal perforation such as intraperitoneal free air and ascites. Emergency operation was carried out and a pinhole perforation was observed at the splenic flexure of the transverse colon. Colostomy with a partial resection of the transverse colon was performed. His postoperative course was complicated owing to DIC and intraabdominal abscess. Three months after the primary operation, the stoma closure was carried out and he is well at 20 months of age. To the best of our knowledge, there are only 2 pediatric reports including the present case describing the idiopathic perforation of the transverse colon, the prognosis of which was considered relatively good compared with the other sites. However, special attention is required for infantile cases because of their poor ability to complain, delaying the definite diagnosis, and the immature omentum cannot cover the perforation site, leading to the deterioration of the clinical condition. Therefore, in an infantile case suspected of gastrointestinal perforation with a history of defecation disorder, prompt and definite diagnosis is essential utilizing the CT scan coronal view while considering the perforation of the transverse colon as the differential diagnosis.
