Hirschsprung's disease in adolescents. Misadventures in diagnosis and management

Three male adolescents, ages 13, 15, and 17 years, presented with complications of their Hirschsprung's disease, including acute enterocolitis with sepsis, chronic enterocolitis with anemia and leukocytosis, and severe fecal impaction. All had experienced delay in diagnosis resulting from either physician error in diagnosis or physician misinformation concerning the surgical treatment of the disease. These three patients illustrate some of the pitfalls in the diagnosis and surgical management of patients with Hirschsprung's disease. Misinformation concerning the surgical correction of this disease still exists, and these patients emphasize the necessity of continued, updated information in the diagnosis, management, and outcome of patients with Hirschsprung's disease.