Resident Emory University , Georgia, United States
Objectives: In this historical retrospective, we review the history of hypertrophic pyloric stenosis from its earliest descriptions in 1641 by Fabricus Hidanus, through the Victorian era of medical treatments via gastric lavage and anticholinergics to reduce pyloric spasm. Harald Hirschprung described two cases in 1887, and in 1901 proposed a surgical cure for the disease. Pierre Fredet was one of the first to perform a durable, consistent surgical approach to pyloroplasty in 1907 using an extramucosal technique. This was followed shortly by Conrad Ramstedt in 1910 who performed a full-thickness Hieneke-Mikulicz repair. We will also touch upon the “Big 3” pyloroplasties (Jaboulay, Finney, and Hieneke-Mikulicz) and their eponymous surgeons.
