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Congenital funnel anus
1Department of Surgery, Children's Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
Insights
Congenital funnel anus, a rare condition, often presents with severe constipation due to megacolon. Surgical intervention, specifically resection and coloanal anastomosis, effectively resolved constipation in all studied patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Gastroenterology
- Anorectal Malformations
Background:
- Congenital funnel anus is a rare anorectal malformation.
- It is infrequently encountered, representing 3.5% of low anorectal malformations at a specialized center.
- This condition is distinct from typical low anorectal anomalies.
Observation:
- Five patients (three children, two adults) with congenital funnel anus were analyzed.
- All patients exhibited a significant megacolon.
- Constipation was severe and unresponsive to conservative management.
Findings:
- Surgical resection of the dilated colon segment was performed.
- A low coloanal anastomosis was created in all cases.
- This surgical approach successfully alleviated severe constipation in every patient.
Implications:
- Congenital funnel anus is strongly associated with megacolon and refractory constipation.
- Surgical management offers a definitive solution for constipation in these patients.
- This approach may improve outcomes for individuals with this rare anomaly.
Abstract:
Five patients (three children, two adults) with a congenital funnel anus are described. Congenital funnel anus is a rare anomaly; it was found in 3.5% of the children who were referred to Children's Hospital, University of Helsinki, for the treatment of low anorectal malformations between 1977 and 1993. Unlike the vast majority of patients with low anorectal anomalies, all of these patients had a huge megacolon, with consequent constipation that was refractory to conservative treatment. Resection of the dilated part of the colon and low coloanal anastomosis relieved the severe constipation in all patients.