HIRSCHSPRUNG DISEASE

Overview and Facts

Hirschsprung disease is a large colon (intestine) disorder that causes difficulty passing feces. As a result of absent nerve cells in the baby’s intestinal muscles, the disease is inborn (congenital). The intestine contents can pile up and produce obstructions if these nerve cells do not stimulate the gut muscles to assist the contents through the gut.

Moreover, Hirschsprung disease is characterized by the inability of a newborn to have a digestive movement in the days following delivery. The disease may not be identified until later in childhood in minor cases. This condition is uncommonly diagnosed in adults. The treatment is surgery to circumvent or eliminate the affected portion of the colon.

Types and Symptoms

SYMPTOMS

Hirschsprung’s disease signs and symptoms vary depending on the severity of the disorder. Symptoms usually develop immediately after delivery. However, they can also appear later in life. The absence of a newborn to have a bowel movement within 48 hours of birth is usually the most visible indicator. Other indications and symptoms to look out for in infants include:

Signs and symptoms in older children include:

  • Gas
  • Swollen stomach
  • Fatigue
  • Chronic constipation

Diagnosis & Medications

DIAGNOSIS

Your child’s physician will examine him or her and ask about his or her bowel movements. To identify or check out Hirschsprung’s illness, the doctor may suggest one or more of the following tests:

  • A sample of intestine tissue

Hirschsprung’s disease can only be diagnosed in this way. A suction instrument can be used to obtain a biopsy sample, which can then be inspected under a microscope to see if nerve cells are absent.

  • Stomach X-ray employing a contrast dye

Through a special tube put in the rectum, barium or another contrast dye is injected into the bowel. The barium fills and covers the gut lining, giving the intestine and rectum a distinct outline.

  • Anal manometry

Adults and children are usually subjected to a manometry test. A balloon is inflated inside the rectum by the physician. As a result, the adjacent muscle may relax. Hirschsprung’s disease could be the cause if it doesn’t.

TREATMENT

Hirschsprung’s disease is usually removed surgically to bypass or eliminate the section of the intestine that is devoid of nerve cells. This can be accomplished in one of two ways: either a pull-through operation or through an ostomy procedure.

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