Berdon syndrome

Berdon's Syndrome is a disorder of the newborn, most prevalent in females, characterised by constipation and urinary retention, microcolon, giant bladder (megacystis), intestinal hypoperistalis, hydronephrosis, and dilated small bowel. The pathological findings consist of an abundance of ganglion cells in both dilated and narrow areas of the intestine. It is a familial disturbance of unknown aetiology. Authors disagree whether inheritance is autosomal dominant or recessive.

Berdon et al. in 1976 first described the condition in five female infants, two of whom were sisters. All had marked dilatation of the bladder and some had hydronephrosis and the external appearance of prune belly. The infants also had microcolon and dilated small intestines

Walter E. Berdon is Director Emeritus of Pediatric Radiology at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, Babies Hospital in New York City. He is a gold medal honoree of both the Society for Pediatric Radiologyand the American Roentgen Ray Society. Dr. Berdon has published hundred of papers in pediatric radiology during his career and continues to enthusiastically practice pediatric radiology and the application of imaging to new clinical developments in pediatrics.

See also Walter E. Berdon Awards http://www.pedrad.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=54

The Berdon Award recognizes the best Clinical and Science papers submitted to the journal of Pediatric Radiology in the year preceding the meeting of The Society for Pediatric Radiology. This award was established to honor Walter Berdon who served as the North American Editor of Pediatric Radiology for 30 years and who stepped down as editor on June 30, 2003.