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Liquid and solid gastric emptying in adults treated for Hirschsprung's disease during early childhood

Asle W Medhus1, Kristin Bjørnland, Ragnhild Emblem

  • 1Department of Medicine, Ullevål University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. a.w.medhus@medisin.uio.no

Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology
|December 28, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Adults with Hirschsprung's disease show delayed gastric emptying for both liquid and solid meals. This indicates ongoing upper gastrointestinal tract dysfunction in these patients, even after childhood surgery.

Area of Science:

  • Gastroenterology
  • Pediatric Surgery
  • Physiology

Background:

  • Hirschsprung's disease is known to cause upper gastrointestinal dysmotility in children.
  • The long-term effects on upper gastrointestinal function in adults treated for Hirschsprung's disease are less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate gastric emptying in adult patients with a history of surgically treated Hirschsprung's disease.
  • To determine if upper gastrointestinal tract involvement persists into adulthood.

Main Methods:

  • Studied gastric emptying of liquid and solid meals in 16 adult Hirschsprung's disease patients and age-matched controls.
  • Utilized the paracetamol absorption test for liquid emptying and the 13C-octanoic acid breath test for solid emptying.
  • Assessed gastrointestinal symptoms using a standardized questionnaire.

Main Results:

  • Significantly delayed gastric emptying of liquid meals was observed in patients compared to controls (p=0.0005).
  • A notable delay in solid meal gastric emptying was also evident in patients (p=0.02).
  • Patients reported more upper gastrointestinal symptoms, though not directly correlated with emptying abnormalities.

Conclusions:

  • Adults with Hirschsprung's disease exhibit abnormal gastric emptying patterns.
  • This suggests persistent upper gastrointestinal tract involvement in these patients.
Abstract

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