13--25 Years follow-up after Swenson's operation for Hirschsprung's Disease

77 patients with Hirschsprung's disease, operated according to the Swenson procedure in the period from 1949--1960 have been followed up in 1961 and 1975. 6 were dead, all from operative complications (a mortality of 8%). The results in the survivors were assessessed with regard to their bowel function and genito-urinary symptoms. The results in 1961 were 37 good (48%), 25 satisfactory (32%) and 9 poor (11%). In 1975, 8 patients were untraceable (10%), of the remainder 34 were good (44%), 22 satisfactory (29%) and 4 poor (5%), while 3 had been reoperated (4%). Two of the patients in the "poor" group had permanent enterostomy. The detailed assessment seems to indicate that diarrhoea and especially soiling in the first postoperative years are symptoms with a tendency to subside spontaneously. A residual constipation did subside in a few cases, but on a whole was much less likely to do so. In some instances, patients who for a long period had had normal stool passage again developed slight constipation, but only in one case a real recurrence with severe constipation was seen. tthere were no sexual complaints among the patients, and their fertility seemed normal. Only 5 patients had very moderate urinary symptoms, although a somewhat larger proportion of urinary anomalies might have been expected. (At the time of admission, a complete urological survey was not routine in these patients).