Morbidity and mortality in duodenal atresia.

98 babies were admitted to the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, London, with duodenal atresia between 1967 and 1981. The overall mortality was 32%, although it fell from 39% in the first half of the series to 26% in the second half. This reflected the better management of babies in risk group C (Watterson et al 1962). However, the high incidence of associated anomalies, involving particularly the alimentary tract, was demonstrated to carry a grave prognosis.