The Efficacy of Biofeedback Therapy for the Treatment of Fecal Incontinence After Soave Procedure in Children for Hirschsprung's Disease

Introduction: Hirschsprung's disease is a common digestive tract malformation in children, and the Soave procedure is one of the classic surgical methods for Hirschsprung's disease (HD). Fecal incontinence is one of the most common postoperative complications that can cause significant distress to the patients and their family, the incidence of which is 20% in a recent series. Biofeedback therapy (BFT) can be an effective treatment for managing anorectal disorders, but there has been little report of the efficacy of BFT for the treatment of fecal incontinence after the Soave procedure, and the main objective of this study is to evaluate it.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed postoperative fecal incontinence in 46 children who received the Soave procedure for HD and who received BFT at our institution from March 2016 to February 2020, which included 38 males and 8 females (mean age 8.1 years, from 3.7 to 14 years). Anal sphincter contraction training was performed using BFT for 10 days per session in the hospital, one time each day, and 20 min each time. BFT was performed by employing visual and verbal feedback techniques using the biofeedback instrument. Long-term functional outcomes were objectively assessed using the Rintala Bowel Function Score (RBFS), and the patients were scored according to the sum total as excellent (18–20 points, 0 case), good (11–16 points, 0 case), fair (9–11 points, 9 cases), or poor (6–9 points, 37 cases). Defecation questionnaires and anorectal manometry were completed pretreatment and after three, six, or nine sessions, and primary outcome measures of anorectal manometry were anal maximal contraction pressure (AMCP), anal longest contraction time (ALCT), rectal rest pressure (RRP), and anal rest pressure (ARP).Results: Followed up from 6 months to 4 years, the symptoms of fecal incontinence disappeared completely in 39 (84.78%) patients. Among them, 14 (30.43%) had complete disappearance of symptoms after 3 sessions of treatment, 25 (54.34%) patients had improved symptoms after 6 sessions of treatment, symptoms completely disappeared after 6 sessions of treatment, and 7 (15.22%) cases still suffered fecal incontinence mildly. The AMCP after three and six sessions in the poor group was significantly increased compared with that before treatment [(85.87 ± 31.75) mmHg vs. (135.33 ± 37.69) mmHg vs. (128.41 ± 33.45) mmHg, P < 0.05]. The ALCT and ARP showed the same trend, while the RRP after three and six sessions were not significant (P > 0.05). The mean (±SD) score of the RBFS increased from 9 to 17.40 ± 0.84 in the fair group, while it increased from 7.22 ± 0.76 to 16.58 ± 1.66 in the poor group after six sessions (P < 0.05).Conclusion: Biofeedback therapy is a safe and effective treatment of fecal incontinence after the Soave procedure of children for Hirschsprung's disease. It is beneficial to design the individualized treatment programs for the children with varying degrees of fecal incontinence.

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Anorectal Manometry on Children: A Moroccan Series and Literature Review

Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences ◽

10.3889/oamjms.2021.6058 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (B) ◽

pp. 337-343

Author(s):

HANANE DELSA ◽

Ilham Serraj ◽

Mohamed Khalis ◽

Nawal Kabbaj

Keyword(s):

Statistical Analysis ◽

Fecal Incontinence ◽

Gold Standard ◽

Chronic Constipation ◽

Anorectal Manometry ◽

Hirschsprung's Disease ◽

Hirschsprung’S Disease ◽

Biofeedback Therapy ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Resting Pressure

Introduction and objectives: Anorectal manometry is a test that evaluates the function of the rectum,but also the anus. It is useful for the diagnosis of several conditions like fecal incontinence and constipation.In children these tests are being increasingly used for all ages.The aim of this study was to determine the benefit of anorectal manometry in children and to report our experience. Material and Methods:Over a period of four years, 273children that underwent anorectal manometry were included in the study,their data and tests results were analyzed. Results:Out of 273 patients included,68,5% were boys and 31,5% were girls.The mean age was 9 years.154patients(51,6%) had Fecal incontinence(Group1),75children(27,5%) had chronic constipation(Group2),and both of them(Group3) were reported in 37children(13,6%).An awake manometry was performed in 248children(91%) however this test under sedation allowed us the exclusion of Hirschsprung’s disease in 21children(84%).In group1, 25%patients had bad anal contraction.In groupe3, 21,6%children had bad anal contraction.The statistical analysis showed a significant difference in age(p=0.022) and resting pressure(p=0.050) between the three groups.Children with fecal incontinence had a higher rate of dyssynergy,80.2% and 83.8% in groups 1 and 3 respectively compared to 60.4% in patients with chronic constipation(p=0,852) Conclusion:The gold standard for the exploration of children’s terminal constipation and encopresis is the anorectal manometry.It is an important tool to establish diagnosis.In our study, this test allow the exclusion of Hirschsprung’s disease in infants with constipation, in other hand we found a higher rate of dyssynergy in children with fecal incontinence(80%) which had allow us to propose a biofeedback therapy.

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Laparoscopic vs. Transabdominal Treatment for Overflow Fecal Incontinence Due to Residual Aganglionosis or Transition Zone Pathology in Hirschsprung's Disease Reoperation

Frontiers in Pediatrics ◽

10.3389/fped.2021.600316 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Feng Chen ◽

Xiaoyu Wei ◽

Xiaohua Chen ◽

Lei Xiang ◽

Jiexiong Feng

Keyword(s):

Fecal Incontinence ◽

Transition Zone ◽

Hirschsprung's Disease ◽

Hirschsprung’S Disease ◽

Comprehensive Evaluation ◽

Length Of Hospital Stay ◽

Initial Surgery ◽

Surgical Methods ◽

Pull Through ◽

Laparoscopic Assisted

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the details of laparoscopic-assisted reoperative surgery for Hirschsprung's disease (HSCR) with overflow fecal incontinence, and to retrospectively compare laparoscopic-assisted surgery with transabdominal pull-through surgery.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients with HSCR with overflow fecal incontinence after the initial surgery in our center between January 2002 and December 2018. Pre-operative, peri-operative, and post-operative data were recorded for statistical analysis.Results: Thirty patients with overflow fecal incontinence after initial megacolon surgery [17 who underwent transanal pull-through (TA-PT) and 13 who underwent laparoscopic-assisted pull-through (LA-PT)] required a secondary surgery [reoperation with LA-PT (LAR-PT) (n = 16) or reoperation with transabdominal pull-through (TR-PT) (n = 14)]. Indications for reoperation were residual aganglionosis (RA) (7/30, 23.3%) or transition zone pathology (TZP) (23/17, 76.7%). Blood loss was significantly decreased in the LAR-PT group (75 ± 29.2 ml) compared to the TR-PT group (190 ± 51.4 ml) (P = 0.001). The length of hospital stay was significantly shorter in the LAR-PT group (10 ± 1.5 days) than that in the TR-PT group (13 ± 2.4 days). No significant differences were found between two groups in surgical methods, defecation function score, or post-operative complications except for wound infection (LAR-PT vs. TR-PT 0 vs. 28.6%, P < 0.05).Conclusions: It is necessary to make a comprehensive analysis of the causes of fecal incontinence after HSCR surgery and make an accurate judgment using appropriate methods. If a reoperation was inevitable for patients with overflow fecal incontinence due to RA or TZP, a comprehensive evaluation prior to the operation is required to maximize the benefit from reoperation. Although laparoscopic reoperation with heart-shaped anastomosis was safe and feasible for patients with failed initial Soave technique, unnecessary reoperation should be avoided as much as possible.

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Long-Term Outcomes and Quality of Life in Patients after Soave Pull-Through Operation for Hirschsprung's Disease: An Observational Retrospective Study

European Journal of Pediatric Surgery ◽

10.1055/s-0037-1604115 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 28 (05) ◽

pp. 445-454 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Tania Mahler ◽

Martine Dassonville ◽

Dinh Truong ◽

Annie Robert ◽

Philippe Goyens ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Fecal Incontinence ◽

Hirschsprung's Disease ◽

Hirschsprung’S Disease ◽

Bowel Function ◽

Long Term Outcomes ◽

Neurologic Impairment ◽

Pull Through

Introduction Patients after pull-through operation for Hirschsprung's disease (HD) are at high risk of defecation disorders. This study aimed at investigating their long-term outcomes and quality of life (QoL) in comparison with controls. Patients and Methods Patients older than 5 years operated on for HD were interviewed to complete detailed questionnaires on bowel function. Patients without neurologic impairment were enrolled in a QoL survey to compare with controls matched for sex and age and selected randomly from the general population using sampling set in a ratio of four controls to one case of HD. Results In total, 53 operated patients were enrolled. Mean age of the patients was 16 ± 8 years, with 68% boys. Rectosigmoid aganglionosis was the most seen form of HD in 38 (72%) cases. Open Soave was performed in 40 (75.5%) cases, and minimally invasive surgery Soave (MIS Soave) in 13 (24.5%) cases. At investigation, prevalence of fecal incontinence and constipation were 22.6 and 13.2%, respectively. Regarding QoL survey, 45 patients and 180 controls were enrolled, excluding 8 patients with neurologic impairment. Thirty-seven (82.2%) patients were classified as having a good QoL (score ≥ 9 points); whereas six had a fair QoL (5–8 points) and two had a poor QoL (< 5 points). QoL score in the cases and the controls were 10.2 ± 2.5 and 11.9 ± 0.4 points, respectively. Long aganglionosis form of HD was significantly associated with a low QoL (score < 8 points), adjusted odds ratio = 9, 95% confidence interval [1.3; 64.1] (p < 0.05). In subscales analyses, the prevalence of each dimension including fecal continence, school absenteeism, unhappiness or anxiety, food restriction, and peer rejection was significantly higher in operated patients than in controls (p <0.001). Conclusion Although the QoL of patients operated on for HD in general was with good outcomes, fecal incontinence and constipation still are problematic issues and challenges in a high percentage of patients. Therefore, a long-term and multidisciplinary follow-up is essentially required for these patients.

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