A Case of Pseudo-Bartter's Syndrome Due to Hypertrophic Pyloric Stenosis

ABSTRACT

We report a 3-month old boy admitted to our hospital with Bartter's syndrome like symptoms and laboratory findings, which were vomiting, failure to thrive, hypochloremic and hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis associated with hyperreninemia, hyperaldosteronism and normal blood pressure. However, the urine chloride level was low. Hypertrophic pyloric stenosis was diagnosed through abdominal ultrasonography. Fredet-Ramstedt operation was done after electrolyte correction. After surgery he made a good recovery and gained body weight. The electrolytes maintained within a normal limit without any potassium supplementations after surgery. Differential diagnosis from Bartter's syndrome was made on the basis of a decrease in urine chloride and the non-necessity for potassium supplementation after surgery. It is relatively rare for hypertrophic pyloric stenosis to induce pseudo-Bartter's syndrome. The importance of considering this diagnosis in such cases is discussed.