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
. 2016 Apr;26(2):192-9.
doi: 10.1055/s-0034-1544053. Epub 2015 Feb 2.

Does Functional Outcome Improve with Time Postsurgery for Hirschsprung Disease?

Olugbenga Michael Aworanti  1 , Dermot Thomas McDowell  2 , Ian Michael Martin  2 , Feargal Quinn  2
Affiliations

Does Functional Outcome Improve with Time Postsurgery for Hirschsprung Disease?

Olugbenga Michael Aworanti et al. Eur J Pediatr Surg. 2016 Apr.

Abstract

Purpose: Constipation and incontinence are significant problems following pull-through surgery for Hirschsprung disease (HD). There is evidence that these problems improve with time. However, there is also evidence showing no improvements and furthermore, significant long-term data are lacking for the newer endorectal pull-through. We aim to determine if there is clinical evidence that show improvements in functional outcomes with time after an endorectal pull-through surgery for HD.

Methods: We utilized the validated pediatric incontinence and constipation scoring system (PICSS) to score 51 consecutive children 3 months to 15 years posttransabdominal or transanal endorectal pull-through for HD. Cases of total colonic aganglionosis and Down syndrome were excluded. PICSS scores below the age-specific lower limit 95% confidence interval scores represent incomplete continence or constipation, respectively. We performed linear regression to analyze the relationship between PICSS scores and the follow-up duration and then compared the demographics of children with and without incomplete continence and constipation, respectively. Significance was set at p < 0.05.

Results: The median age at PICSS interview was 71 months (range, 6-191 months). Incontinence scores obtained from 42 children older than 35 months showed a positive relationship with the follow-up duration (p = 0.03). Constipation scores obtained from 51 children were unrelated to follow-up duration (p = 0.486). When demographics were compared, the continent children had longer follow-up than those with incomplete continence (mean, 111.64 vs. 69.19 months; p = 0.051), however follow-up duration did not differ in the group of constipated children compared with the nonconstipated group (mean, 61.88 vs. 71.80 months; p = 0.321).

Conclusion: These findings suggest that after an endorectal pull-through, improved continence should be expected with time but constipation often continues to be an ongoing problem.

PubMed Disclaimer