Transanal endorectal pull-through for Hirschsprung's disease: experience with 50 patients

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Surgery
• Gastroenterology
• Colorectal Surgery

Background:

• Hirschsprung's disease (HD) is a congenital disorder characterized by the absence of ganglion cells in the distal bowel.
• Transanal endorectal pull-through (TEPT) represents a minimally invasive surgical approach for HD treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the transanal endorectal pull-through (TEPT) procedure.
• To assess TEPT as a definitive treatment for Hirschsprung's disease (HD).

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study of 50 pediatric patients with Hirschsprung's disease (HD).
• Patients underwent TEPT between June 2001 and April 2012.
• Evaluation included preoperative findings, intraoperative/postoperative complications, and follow-up results.

Main Results:

• The study included 50 patients (43 boys, 7 girls) with a median age of 3 months.
• Common symptoms included abdominal distention and vomiting; diagnoses confirmed via barium enema, rectal biopsy, or laparotomy.
• Postoperative complications observed: transient perianal excoriation (12), enterocolitis (10), anastomotic stricture (3), soiling (3), recurrent constipation (2), prolapse (1), anastomotic leak (1), rectovestibular fistula (1).

Conclusions:

• Transanal endorectal pull-through (TEPT) is a feasible and safe procedure for treating rectosigmoid Hirschsprung's disease (HD).
• TEPT demonstrates acceptable outcomes in pediatric patients with HD.