meconium (redirected from meconium retention)

meconium /me·co·ni·um/ (mĭ-ko´ne-um) dark green mucilaginous material in the intestine of the full-term fetus.

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me·co·ni·um (m-kn-m)

n.

1. A dark green fecal material that accumulates in the fetal intestines and is discharged at or near the time of birth.

2. See opium.

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Meconium

The first waste products to be discharged from the body in a newborn infant, usually greenish in color and consisting of mucus, bile and so forth.

Mentioned in: Hirschsprung's Disease, Intestinal Obstructions

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meconium

[mikō′nē·əm]

Etymology: Gk, mekon, poppy

a material that collects in the intestines of a fetus and forms the first stools of a newborn. It is thick and sticky, usually greenish to black, and composed of secretions of the intestinal glands, some amniotic fluid, and intrauterine debris, such as bile pigments, fatty acids, epithelial cells, mucus, lanugo, and blood. With ingestion of breast milk or formula and proper functioning of the GI tract, the color, consistency, and frequency of the stools change by the third or fourth day after the initiation of feedings. The presence of meconium in the amniotic fluid during labor may indicate fetal distress and may lead to a lack of oxygen and developmental delays.

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meconium

yellow-orange mucilaginous material in the intestine of the full-term fetus; it constitutes the first stools passed by the newborn.

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meconium aspiration

aspiration of fragments of meconium into the pulmonary airways occurs in the fetus in the terminal stages of many infections.

meconium ileus

intestinal obstruction in the newborn due to the blocking of the bowels with thick meconium. This is an important disease of newborn colt foals. The syndrome is usually one of subacute abdominal pain, restlessness and straining, and a positive finding on rectal examination. Occasional cases show severe pain and tympany of the large intestine. Called also meconium retention.

meconium retention

see meconium ileus (above). See also impaction colic.

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meconium

A dark green viscid glue-like material found in the intestine of all neonates; it is the first stool passed by the newborns and is passed in the first 24-48 hrs of life; prenatal passage of meconium may indicate fetal distress