Treatment
Treating Hirschsprung's
disease requires surgery to remove the affected
bowel and then join the healthy bowel segments. There are three different approaches, each with a high rate of success. The choice depends on the overall health of the child and the training and experience of the
surgeon.
Sometimes a single surgical procedure is recommended to remove the
aganglionic segment, then bring the healthy bowel down into the
rectum, and join it to the
rectal wall: this is called a "
pull-through"
operation. If an
infant is too small or a child is
critically ill, a temporary
colostomy may be necessary prior to the pull-through.
In a colostomy, the colon is brought out to the surface of the
abdomen so that stool contents can be
discharged into a special bag for
disposal.
Subsequent to the colostomy, the pull-through surgery can be planned. The colostomy opening can then closed at the time of the pull-through, or, in some cases, at a third operation after it is clear that the pull-through is working.
For most children with Hirschsprung's disease, there are no long-term
complications after successful surgery. A significant minority of children, though, are troubled with persistent
constipation,
encopresis (
stool incontinence), or
persistent enterocolitis.
Personal Note: Being affected with this disease, and not having had the surgery due to incorrect early diagnosis, I am inspired to say that living with this problem without surgery is very difficult. You may experince humiliation due to inability to control bowel movments, severe pain when having bowel movments, and constant illness due to the inability to remove toxins from the body. Please do not allow a child to grow up with this disease.