Hirschsprung’s disease

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Digestive system

Large intestine

Congenital megacolon

The abnormal section of colon must be surgically removed. Sometimes this can be accomplished with a single operation. However, it is frequently performed as a two-staged procedure with a colostomy being performed at the time of diagnosis, and a definitive procedure being performed later in the first year of life.

Symptoms are eliminated in 90% of children after surgical treatment. A better outcome is associated with early treatment, and shorter bowel segment involvement.

• Perforation of the intestine
• Enterocolitis
• Short gut syndrome

Call your child's health care provider if symptoms suggestive of Hirschsprung's disease develop.

Call your child's health care provider if abdominal pain or other new symptoms develop after treatment for Hirschsprung's disease.

Review Date: 12/18/2006
Reviewed By: Daniel Rauch, MD, FAAP, Director, Pediatric Hospitalist Program, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.