Invited commentary on Ahmad et al.: Routine botulinum toxin injection one month after a Swenson pull-through does not change the incidence of Hirschsprung associated enterocolitis

Abstract

In this month's issue of Journal of Pediatric Surgery, Dr. Hira Ahmad and colleagues report their results using routine botulinum toxin (Botox) injections into the anal sphincter in an attempt to reduce or prevent the development of post-operative Hirschsprung-Associated Enterocolitis (HAEC). They report results from their retrospective, single-institution, time-interrupted series of patients spanning 5.5 years, with the first four years serving as the control cases and the last 18 months of patients receiving the intervention.