What condition presents with an inability to tolerate feedings due to excessive vomiting in infants?

The condition characterized by an inability to tolerate feedings due to excessive vomiting in infants is pyloric stenosis. This congenital condition occurs when the pylorus, the passage from the stomach to the small intestine, becomes narrowed due to hypertrophy of the pyloric muscle. As a result, infants with pyloric stenosis experience projectile vomiting after feedings, which is often described as "milk curds" or undigested food. This vomiting leads to dehydration and electrolyte imbalances, making it challenging for affected infants to maintain proper nutrition. The typical onset of symptoms occurs around 3 to 12 weeks of age, and the condition is more common in males.

Other conditions, while presenting with gastrointestinal symptoms, do not specifically lead to the excessive vomiting characteristic of pyloric stenosis in infants. Gastroesophageal reflux can involve vomiting but typically does not present with the same severity and projectile nature of the vomiting seen in pyloric stenosis. Herniation could involve various issues such as intestinal obstruction, but it is not defined primarily by excessive vomiting either. Celiac disease usually manifests later in infancy or early childhood with symptoms related to malabsorption rather than acute vomiting following feedings.