Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2015 Jan;20(1):10-5.
doi: 10.4103/0971-9261.145438.

Anorectal malformations

Ajay Narayan Gangopadhyay  1 , Vaibhav Pandey  1
Affiliations
Review

Anorectal malformations

Ajay Narayan Gangopadhyay et al. J Indian Assoc Pediatr Surg. 2015 Jan.

Abstract

Anorectal malformations (ARMs) are among the more frequent congenital anomalies encountered in paediatric surgery, with an estimated incidence ranging between 1 in 2000 and 1 in 5000 live births. Antenatal diagnosis of an isolated ARM is rare. Most cases are diagnosed in the early neonatal period. There is a wide spectrum of presentation ranging from low anomalies with perineal fistula having simple management to high anomalies with complex management. Advances in the imaging techniques with improvement in knowledge of the embryology, anatomy and physiology of ARM cases have refined diagnosis and initial management. There has been marked improvement in survival of such patient over the last century. The management of ARM has moved forward from classical procedures to PSARP to minimal invasive procedures. But still the fecal and urinary incontinence can occur even with an excellent anatomic repair, mainly due to associated problems. There has been a paradigm shift in approach to these patients which involves holistic approach to the syndrome of Anorectal malformations with a long term goal of achievement of complete fecal and urinary continence with excellent quality of life.

Keywords: Anorectal malformations; cloaca; continence; imperforate anus.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

References

    1. Levitt MA, Pena A. Imperforate anus and cloacal malformations. In: Holcomb GW III, Murphy JP, editors. Ashcraft's Pediatric Surgery. 5th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders Elsevier; 2010. pp. 468–90.
    1. Belloni E, Martucciello G, Verderio D, Ponti E, Seri M, Jasonni V, et al. Involvement of the HLXB9 homeobox gene in Currarino syndrome. Am J Hum Genet. 2000;66:312–9. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Zwink N, Jenetzky E, Brenner H. Parental risk factors and anorectal malformations: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Orphanet J Rare Dis. 2011;6:25. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Stephens FD. Imperforate rectum; a new surgical technique. Med J Aust. 1953;1:202–3. - PubMed
    1. Stephens FD, Durham-Smith E. Classification, identification, and assessment of surgical treatment of anorectal anomalies. Pediatr Surg Int. 1986;1:200–5.