Mexican consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of constipation in the pediatric population

Chronic constipation is a common condition seen in pediatrics. In recent years, new diagnostic and treatment measures have been applied, motivating the Asociación Mexicana de Gastroenterología to bring together a panel of national and international experts, for the aim of unifying concepts, providing recommendations on the use of complementary studies, and proposing the most appropriate treatment. A systematic search of the literature in English and Spanish was carried out for each statement formulated, utilizing Medline/PubMed, Cochrane Database, EMBASE (Ovid), and LILACS. The Delphi method was used for developing the consensus. Ten questions and 43 statements were discussed, establishing a recommendation grade and evaluating the quality of evidence. Different concepts, diagnostic methods, and pharmacologic and surgical therapeutic measures were discussed, and following three voting rounds, the recommendations based on current clinical evidence were established.