The incidence of different forms of ileus following surgery for abdominal birth defects in infants: a systematic review with a meta-analysis method.

This review is the first to aggregate the known literature in order approximate the incidence of different forms of ileus for different abdominal birth defects. We showed these complications are common and the distribution varies between birth defects. Knowing which birth defects are most at risk can aid clinicians in taking prompt action, such as nasogastric tube placement, when an ileus is suspected. Future research should focus on the identification of risk factors and preventative measures. The incidences provided by this review can be used in those studies as a starting point for sample size calculations.