THE ANTRAL NIPPLE SIGN OF PYLORIC MUCOSAL PROLAPSE - ENDOSCOPIC CORRELATION OF A NEW SONOGRAPHIC OBSERVATION IN PATIENTS WITH PYLORIC-STENOSIS

This study describes the antral nipple sign of pyloric mucosal prolaps e, a newly delineated sonographic observation in patients with pyloric stenosis, correlates the endoscopic findings, and examines its preval ence and significance in 31 consecutive patients with pyloric stenosis . Fifty patients who did not have pyloric stenosis served as the contr ol population. The antral nipple sign consists of visualization of pro lapsed, hypertrophied pyloric mucosa protruding into the gastric antru m. Using the Wilcoxon scores (rank sums), there was no significant dif ference among the patients in age, weight, or pyloric muscle dimension s. Although the diagnosis of pyloric stenosis is made on the basis of muscle thickness, we have documented that the pyloric mucosa becomes r edundant in infants with pyloric stenosis, permitting a fuller underst anding of the anatomic correlate underlying the sonographic images.