Milk curd syndrome with goat's milk

Abstract

Milk curd syndrome is an infrequent cause of intestinal obstruction in neonates and early infancy. We are adding to the literature an extremely rare case of milk curd syndrome in a 3-month-old infant who was being fed with goat's milk. A 3-month-old infant presented with features of intestinal obstruction. The patient used to pass a few pellets such as small, firm, white-colored stools after every 2 to 3 days often requiring enema. The baby was fed with goat's milk. Abdominal radiographs suggested large bowel obstruction. The conservative treatment with rectal washes failed. Exploration revealed dilated small bowel with the presence of very dense, inspissated, sticky, and white-colored intraluminal material in the terminal ileum and throughout the colon. Multiple attempts were made to milk the contents distally and finally out of the rectum but failed. A transverse loop colostomy was performed and inspissated milk curds were milked out. The outcome was favorable. The diagnosis of milk curd obstruction should be considered in neonates and infants with signs of the terminal ileum or large bowel obstruction fed with unmodified animal milk, for example, goat's milk (as seen in our case) or formula feeds.