Functional outcome after operation for Hirschsprung disease—transanal vs transabdominal approach

Abstract

Background It has been hypothesized that the extensive transanal dissection in transanal endorectal pull-through (TEPT) for Hirschsprung disease (HD) can impair the anal sphincters in neonates and thereby cause incontinence. Theoretically, transabdominal endorectal pull-through might have less impact on the sphincters. The aim of this study was to compare functional outcome in HD patients operated with either TEPT or laparotomy-assisted endorectal pull-through (LEPT) with particular focus on soiling and fecal incontinence. Patients and Methods Anorectal function in 52 children older than 3 years is reported. The patients were operated for HD with either TEPT (n = 28) or LEPT (n = 24) and followed prospectively. Functional outcome was recorded by standardized interviews. The Krickenbeck criteria were used to classify voluntary bowel movements, soiling, and constipation. Results The median age at follow-up was 5.7 years (3.1-13.2) for TEPT and 10.1 years (7.7-16.2) for LEPT. Twenty-nine patients reported soiling at final follow-up. There was no difference in the rate of soiling between children operated with TEPT (54%) or LEPT (58%). Constipation was reported in 11 children (TEPT, 25%; LEPT, 17%). Conclusions The functional outcome and in particular the rate of soiling did not differ between patients operated with LEPT or TEPT.