Pull-through procedure

Last updated
Pull-through procedure
Specialty General surgery

A pull-through procedure is the definitive operation for Hirschsprung disease, involving the removal of the abnormal segment of bowel that has no nerves, pulling through the normal bowel and connecting it to the anus. Several types of pull-through procedures exist including the Soave, Swenson and Duhamel. It can be performed using an open or minimally invasive approach. [1]

Contents

Aim

A pull-through procedure is the definitive treatment for Hirschsprung's disease, with the aim of removing the abnormal part of the bowel and joining the normal part of the intestine with the anus. [2]

Swenson pull-through

The original pull-through procedure was designed by Orvar Swenson and his colleague Alexander Bill. The abnormal aganglionic part of the bowel is resected down to the sigmoid colon and rectum, and the normal colon and the low rectum are subsequently joined. [1] [3]

Duhamel pull-through

The Duhamel pull-through is a modified Swenson's pull-through, first described in 1956. [1]

Soave pull-through

The Soave procedure involves resecting the mucosa and submucosa of the rectum and pulling through the normal ganglionic bowel through the aganglionic muscular cuff of the rectum. It was introduced in the 1960s and initially did not include a formal join. It depended on scar tissue formation between the pull-through segment and the surrounding aganglionic bowel. The procedure was later modified by Boley. [1]

Anorectal myomectomy

If the segment of Hirschsprung's is short, anorectal myomectomy maybe an alternative surgical option. [1]

Laparoscopic approach

Georgeson first described laparoscopic surgical treatment of Hirschsprung's in 1999. [1] Transanal pull-through procedures do not require an intra-abdominal dissection. [1] [4]

Complications

Complications include anaesthetic risks, infection, bleeding and perforation of the bowel. [5] Frequent loose stools may cause nappy rash. Toilet training may also pose problems. Occasionally a temporary stoma is required. [6] A pull-through may sometimes fail if some of the abnormal bowel is left behind. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fecal incontinence</span> Inability to refrain from defecation

Fecal incontinence (FI), or in some forms encopresis, is a lack of control over defecation, leading to involuntary loss of bowel contents, both liquid stool elements and mucus, or solid feces. When this loss includes flatus (gas), it is referred to as anal incontinence. FI is a sign or a symptom, not a diagnosis. Incontinence can result from different causes and might occur with either constipation or diarrhea. Continence is maintained by several interrelated factors, including the anal sampling mechanism, and incontinence usually results from a deficiency of multiple mechanisms. The most common causes are thought to be immediate or delayed damage from childbirth, complications from prior anorectal surgery, altered bowel habits. An estimated 2.2% of community-dwelling adults are affected. However, reported prevalence figures vary. A prevalence of 8.39% among non-institutionalized U.S adults between 2005 and 2010 has been reported, and among institutionalized elders figures come close to 50%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hirschsprung's disease</span> Medical condition

Hirschsprung's disease is a birth defect in which nerves are missing from parts of the intestine. The most prominent symptom is constipation. Other symptoms may include vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea and slow growth. Most children develop signs and symptoms shortly after birth. However, others may be diagnosed later in infancy or early childhood. About half of all children with Hirschsprung's disease are diagnosed in the first year of life. Complications may include enterocolitis, megacolon, bowel obstruction and intestinal perforation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rectal prolapse</span> Medical condition

A rectal prolapse occurs when walls of the rectum have prolapsed to such a degree that they protrude out of the anus and are visible outside the body. However, most researchers agree that there are 3 to 5 different types of rectal prolapse, depending on whether the prolapsed section is visible externally, and whether the full or only partial thickness of the rectal wall is involved.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colorectal surgery</span> Field in medicine for disabilities in the rectum

Colorectal surgery is a field in medicine dealing with disorders of the rectum, anus, and colon. The field is also known as proctology, but this term is now used infrequently within medicine and is most often employed to identify practices relating to the anus and rectum in particular. The word proctology is derived from the Greek words πρωκτός proktos, meaning "anus" or "hindparts", and -λογία -logia, meaning "science" or "study".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ileostomy</span> Surgical procedure

Ileostomy is a stoma constructed by bringing the end or loop of small intestine out onto the surface of the skin, or the surgical procedure which creates this opening. Intestinal waste passes out of the ileostomy and is collected in an external ostomy system which is placed next to the opening. Ileostomies are usually sited above the groin on the right hand side of the abdomen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volvulus</span> Twisting of part of the intestine, causing a bowel obstruction

A volvulus is when a loop of intestine twists around itself and the mesentery that supports it, resulting in a bowel obstruction. Symptoms include abdominal pain, abdominal bloating, vomiting, constipation, and bloody stool. Onset of symptoms may be rapid or more gradual. The mesentery may become so tightly twisted that blood flow to part of the intestine is cut off, resulting in ischemic bowel. In this situation there may be fever or significant pain when the abdomen is touched.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colectomy</span> Surgical removal of any extent of the colon

Colectomy is bowel resection of the large bowel (colon). It consists of the surgical removal of any extent of the colon, usually segmental resection. In extreme cases where the entire large intestine is removed, it is called total colectomy, and proctocolectomy denotes that the rectum is included.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imperforate anus</span> Birth defect of malformed rectum

An imperforate anus or anorectal malformations (ARMs) are birth defects in which the rectum is malformed. ARMs are a spectrum of different congenital anomalies which vary from fairly minor lesions to complex anomalies. The cause of ARMs is unknown; the genetic basis of these anomalies is very complex because of their anatomical variability. In 8% of patients, genetic factors are clearly associated with ARMs. Anorectal malformation in Currarino syndrome represents the only association for which the gene HLXB9 has been identified.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anal fistula</span> Disease of the anus

Anal fistula is a chronic abnormal communication between the anal canal and the perianal skin. An anal fistula can be described as a narrow tunnel with its internal opening in the anal canal and its external opening in the skin near the anus. Anal fistulae commonly occur in people with a history of anal abscesses. They can form when anal abscesses do not heal properly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stapled hemorrhoidopexy</span>

Stapled hemorrhoidopexy is a surgical procedure that involves the cutting and removal of anal hemorrhoidal vascular cushion, whose function is to help to seal stools and create continence. Procedure also removes abnormally enlarged hemorrhoidal tissue, followed by the repositioning of the remaining hemorrhoidal tissue back to its normal anatomic position. Severe cases of hemorrhoidal prolapse will normally require surgery. Newer surgical procedures include stapled transanal rectal resection (STARR) and procedure for prolapse and hemorrhoids (PPH). Both STARR and PPH are contraindicated in persons with either enterocele or anismus.

Total mesorectal excision (TME) is a standard surgical technique for treatment of rectal cancer, first described in 1982 by Professor Bill Heald at the UK's Basingstoke District Hospital. It is a precise dissection of the mesorectal envelope comprising rectum containing the tumour together with all the surrounding fatty tissue and the sheet of tissue that contains lymph nodes and blood vessels. Dissection is along the avascular alveolar plane between the presacral and mesorectal fascia, described as holy plane. Dissection along this plane facilitates a straightforward dissection and preserves the sacral vessels and hypogastric nerves and is a sphincter-sparing resection and decreases permanent stoma rates. It is possible to rejoin the two ends of the colon; however, most patients require a temporary ileostomy pouch to bypass the colon, allowing it to heal with less risk of infection, perforation or leakage.

Bowel management is the process which a person with a bowel disability uses to manage fecal incontinence or constipation. People who have a medical condition which impairs control of their defecation use bowel management techniques to choose a predictable time and place to evacuate. A simple bowel management technique might include diet control and establishing a toilet routine. As a more involved practice a person might use an enema to relieve themselves. Without bowel management, the person might either suffer from the feeling of not getting relief, or they might soil themselves.

Transanal hemorrhoidal dearterialization (THD) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure for the treatment of internal hemorrhoids.

Obstructed defecation syndrome is a major cause of functional constipation, of which it is considered a subtype. It is characterized by difficult and/or incomplete emptying of the rectum with or without an actual reduction in the number of bowel movements per week. Normal definitions of functional constipation include infrequent bowel movements and hard stools. In contrast, ODS may occur with frequent bowel movements and even with soft stools, and the colonic transit time may be normal, but delayed in the rectum and sigmoid colon.

Neonatal bowel obstruction (NBO) or neonatal intestinal obstruction is the most common surgical emergency in the neonatal period. It may occur due to a variety of conditions and has an excellent outcome based on timely diagnosis and appropriate intervention.

Transanal irrigation of the rectum and colon is designed to assist the evacuation of feces from the bowel by introducing water into these compartments via the anus.

A rectovestibular fistula, also referred to simply as a vestibular fistula, is an anorectal congenital disorder where an abnormal connection (fistula) exists between the rectum and the vulval vestibule of the female genitalia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morio Kasai</span> Japanese pediatric surgeon

Morio Kasai was a Japanese surgeon who had a strong interest in pediatric surgery. While Kasai went into practice at a time when pediatric surgery was not an established subspecialty, much of his clinical and research work was related to the surgical care of children. He is best known for devising a surgical procedure, the hepatoportoenterostomy, to address a life-threatening birth defect known as biliary atresia. The modern form of the operation is still known as the Kasai procedure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orvar Swenson</span>

Orvar Swenson was a Swedish-born American pediatric surgeon. He discovered the cause of Hirschsprung's disease and in 1948, with Alexander Bill, performed the first pull-through operation in a child with megacolon, which then became a treatment for the disease.

Caudal duplication, is a rare congenital disorder in which various structures of the caudal region, embryonic cloaca, and neural tube exhibit a spectrum of abnormalities such as duplication and malformations. The exact causes of the condition is unknown, though there are several theories implicating abnormal embryological development as a cause for the condition. Diagnosis is often made during prenatal development of the second trimester through anomaly scans or immediately after birth. However, rare cases of adulthood diagnosis has also been observed. Treatment is often required to correct such abnormalities according to the range of symptoms present, whilst treatment options vary from conservative expectant management to resection of caudal tissue to restore normal function or appearance. As a rare congenital disorder, the prevalence at birth is less than 1 per 100,000 with less than 100 cases reported worldwide.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Hirschsprung Disease Treatment & Management: Approach Considerations, Medical Care, Surgical Care". Medscape . 2 February 2019.
  2. "Hirschsprung disease". American Pediatric Surgical Association . Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  3. Swenson O (1989). "My early experience with Hirschsprung's disease". Journal of Pediatric Surgery . 24 (8): 839–44, discussion 844–5. doi:10.1016/S0022-3468(89)80549-4. PMID   2671336.
  4. Dasgupta, Roshni; Langer, Jacob C. (2005). "Transanal pull-through for Hirschsprung disease". Seminars in Pediatric Surgery. 14 (1): 64–71. doi:10.1053/j.sempedsurg.2004.10.027. ISSN   1055-8586. PMID   15770590. S2CID   26483790.
  5. "Hirschsprung's disease". www.gosh.nhs.uk. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  6. Costigan, Ann; Orr, Stephanie. "Hirschprungs Disease Passport" (PDF). Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital. Dublin.
  7. Sebire, Neil; Malone, Marian; Ashworth, Michael; Jacques, Thomas S. (2009). Diagnostic Pediatric Surgical Pathology E-Book: Expert Consult--Online and Print. Churchill Livingstone Elsevier. p. 572. ISBN   9780443068089.