Oral microvascular network geometry abnormalities in infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis.

Infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis(IHPS) is a common surgical condition of unknown etiology.The oral mucosal vascular networks of IHPSpatients(n= 25)and their unaffected parents showed lower blood vessel-free areas, as well as higher box-counting dimensions at two box size scales[D(1–46),D(1–15)],and relative Lempel-Ziv values(P<0.000001),as compared to those of gender- and age-matched controls. These findings may provide a useful phenotypical marker for identifying couples potentially at risk for the birth of an affected infant, while supporting the importance of a genetic component in this condition.