ABSTRACT
Meconium peritonitis (MP) is an aseptic peritonitis caused by spills of meconium in the abdominal cavity through one or several intestinal perforations that have taken place during intrauterine life. Extravasation of sterile meconium into the fetal peritoneal cavity causes an intense chemical and foreign body reaction with characteristic calcification. Often, the perforation seals before the infant is born. Gastrointestinal perforations that occur following birth, even though the gut still contains meconium, should not be included in the syndrome of “meconium peritonitis,” and constitute an entirely different group of clinical problems.1
