Application of a plain abdominal radiograph transition zone (PARTZ) in Hirschsprung's disease

A Case Report of Hirschsprung's Disease in a Neonate: Early Detection and Review of Management

Hirschsprung's disease is a rare disease characterized by the complete absence of ganglionic cells in the colon, thereby causing loss of peristalsis movement of the bowel. Most cases are diagnosed before the age of one. Here, we present a case of a newborn baby boy who was not feeding well and then developed a distended abdomen and began bilious vomiting. Blood mucoid stools were also observed. The diagnosis of Hirschsprung's disease was confirmed through a full-thickness rectal biopsy, and the Duhamel surgical procedure was performed as a course of treatment all within the first few days of birth. No complications were reported, and the baby was safely discharged after seven days. This case demonstrates the importance of timely treatment after prompt diagnosis due to the early recognition of the severe symptoms. Even though this disease is rare, pediatricians should be trained to recognize and treat the child to prevent further detrimental outcomes.

A Critical Analysis of Rectal Biopsy to Exclude Hirschsprung's Disease

INTRODUCTION

 Most Hirschsprung's disease (HD) are diagnosed in young children with increased risk ("red flag"). Older children (>6 months) require open rectal biopsy (ORB) with its own impact on risk and resources. We investigated if "red flag", age, and sex used in combination could exclude HD.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

 "Red flags" are risk factors associated with HD, including neonatal bowel obstruction, genetic association, failure of passage of meconium in <48 hours, infantile constipation, distension with vomiting, or family history. All rectal biopsies (2015-2018) were reviewed for indications, methods, and histopathological findings. Logistic regression analysis was adopted to assess predictive value of "red flag," age, and sex (p < 0.05* was significant).

RESULTS

 A total of 187 children underwent 84 suction rectal biopsies and 113 ORBs (n = 197 in total). Final histopathological diagnoses were non-HD (n = 154) and HD (n = 43). Total 78% of rectal biopsies were non-HD, of which 63% by ORB. Non-HD was associated with absence of "red flag" (49 vs. 16%*), increased age at biopsy (22 months vs. 28 days*), >6 months old (62 vs. 30%*), and female gender (54 vs. 16%*), compared with HD. In the absence of "red flag," 7/82 (9%) had HD (negative predictive value = 91%). Logistic regression analysis found absent "red flag" predicted non-HD biopsy with odds ratio 4.77 (1.38, 16.47), corrected for age and sex.

CONCLUSION

 Negative rectal biopsy rate for HD is very high. The majority required ORB. Although "red flag" and gender, but not age, have strong predictive values, it is inadequate for excluding HD. This study supports the need for alternative strategies in excluding HD.

Digital pathology imaging and computer-aided diagnostics as a novel tool for standardization of evaluation of aganglionic megacolon (Hirschsprung disease) histopathology

Based on a recently introduced immunohistochemical panel (Bachmann et al. 2015) for aganglionic megacolon (AM), also known as Hirschsprung disease, histopathological diagnosis, we evaluated whether the use of digital pathology and 'machine learning' could help to obtain a reliable diagnosis. Slides were obtained from 31 specimens of 27 patients immunohistochemically stained for MAP2, calretinin, S100β and GLUT1. Slides were digitized by whole slide scanning. We used a Definiens Developer Tissue Studios as software for analysis. We configured necessary parameters in combination with 'machine learning' to identify pathological aberrations. A significant difference between AM- and non-AM-affected tissues was found for calretinin (AM 0.55% vs. non-AM 1.44%) and MAP2 (AM 0.004% vs. non-AM 0.07%) staining measurements and software-based evaluations. In contrast, S100β and GLUT1 staining measurements and software-based evaluations showed no significant differences between AM- and non-AM-affected tissues. However, no difference was found in comparison of suction biopsies with resections. Applying machine learning via an ensemble voting classifier, we achieved an accuracy of 87.5% on the test set. Automated diagnosis of AM by applying digital pathology on immunohistochemical panels was successful for calretinin and MAP2, whereas S100β and GLUT1 were not effective in diagnosis. Our method suggests that software-based approaches are capable of diagnosing AM. Our future challenge will be the improvement of efficiency by reduction of the time-consuming need for large pre-labelled training data. With increasing technical improvement, especially in unsupervised training procedures, this method could be helpful in the future.

Diagnostic value of the preoperatively detected radiological transition zone in Hirschsprung's disease

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

The cardinal diagnostic sign of congenital aganglionic megacolon, or Hirschsprung's disease (HD), is an aganglionic segment of the distal colon or rectum. To determine the surgical planning of a radiological transition zone (TZ) in HD, this study investigated the association between a radiological TZ and the bowel resection length.

METHODS

A prospective observational study was conducted in children (n = 192) with suspected HD determined by radiological TZ on contrast barium enema, and who underwent pull-through operations. The bowel resection length was ≥10 cm above the proximal radiological TZ levels and confirmed by intraoperative frozen sections. In the contrast enema, the presence and level of a radiological TZ were recorded. Correlation of the TZ features with ganglion cells assessed by immunostaining of neuronal nuclei (NeuN) and the odds ratio were calculated.

RESULTS

The sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing HD by the presence of a radiological TZ were 86.9 and 92.1%, respectively; Youden's index was 79.0%. The positive and negative predictive values were 91.7 and 87.6%. The kappa value indicating an association between TZ and HD was 0.776 (P < 0.05). The correlation rate between a radiological TZ and the pathological results was 88.5% in the rectosigmoid colon and 44.4% in the descending colon, and was higher in children older than 3 months (85.3%) than in infants (69.0%).

CONCLUSION

A preoperatively determined radiological TZ has potential value to identify the length of resected bowel in patients with HD, and it also has a high predictive value for diagnosis of HD.

DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY OF BARIUM ENEMA FINDINGS IN HIRSCHSPRUNG'S DISEASE

Background:

Hirschsprung's disease is the most common cause of pediatric intestinal obstruction. Contrast enema is used for evaluation of the patients with its diagnosis.

Aim:

To evaluate sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of radiologic findings for diagnosis of Hirschsprung in patients underwent barium enema.

Methods:

This cross sectional study was carried out in Imam Khomeini Hospital for one year starting from 2012, April. Sixty patients were enrolled. Inclusion criteria were: neonates with failure to pass meconium, abdominal distention, and refractory constipation who failed to respond with medical treatment. Transitional zone, delay in barium evacuation after 24 h, rectosigmoid index (maximum with of the rectum divided by maximum with of the sigmoid; abnormal if <1), and irregularity of mucosa (jejunization) were evaluated in barium enema. Biopsy was obtained at three locations apart above dentate line. PPV, NPV, specificity , and sensitivity was calculated for each finding.

Results:

Mean age of the cases with Hirschsprung's disease and without was 17.90±18.29 months and 17.8±18.34 months respectively (p=0.983). It was confirmed in 30 (M=20, F=10) of cases. Failure to pass meconium was found in 21(70%) cases. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV were 90%, 80%, 81.8% and 88.8% respectively for transitional zone in barium enema. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV were 76.7%, 83.3%, 78.1% and 82.1% respectively for rectosigmoid index .Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV were 46.7%, 100%, 100% and 65.2% respectively for irregular contraction detected in barium enema. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV were 23.3%, 100%, 100% and 56.6% respectively for mucosal irregularity in barium enema.

Conclusion:

The most sensitive finding was transitional zone. The most specific findings were irregular contraction, mucosal irregularity, and followed by cobblestone appearance.

Pathological changes of interstitial cells of Cajal and ganglion cells in the segment of resected bowel in Hirschsprung's disease

OBJECTIVES

This study was conducted to investigate the pathological changes which occur in interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) and ganglion cells found in segments of resected bowel obtained from patients with Hirschsprung's disease (HD), as well as to explore the benefits of using a contrast enema (CE) with 24-h delayed X-ray films to predict the length of resected bowel.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective analysis of 58 children with HD who had undergone the pull-through procedure. After each operation, the ICCs and ganglion cells present in the proximal ends of the barium residue (Level A) and resected proximal bowel segment (Level B) were analyzed using immunohistochemical staining methods. Each patient was followed up for 1 year to record their stool frequency, defecation control ability, and post-surgical complications which may have occurred.

RESULTS

Immunohistochemical staining detected fewer ICCs in Level A than in Level B (p < 0.05). However, the density of ganglion cells in the two levels was not significantly different (p > 0.05). One patient had anastomotic stricture, and five patients suffered from enterocolitis.

CONCLUSIONS

The density of ICCs was significantly lower in the bowel segments that displayed barium retention. A CE may be a valuable tool for predicting the length of bowel resection in patients with HD.

Diagnostic accuracy of radiologic scoring system for evaluation of suspicious hirschsprung disease in children

BACKGROUND

In 1996, Donovan and colleagues represented a scoring system for better prediction of Hirschsprung disease (HD).

OBJECTIVES

Our objective was to devise another scoring system that uses a checklist of radiologic and clinical signs to determine the probability of HD in suspicious patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In a diagnostic accuracy study, 55 children with clinical manifestations of HD that referred to a training hospital from 1998 to 2011 were assessed. A checklist was used to evaluate the items proposed by contrast enema (CE), based on six subscales, including transitional zone, rectosigmoid index (RSI), irregular contractions in aganglionic region, cobblestone appearance, filling defect due to fecaloid materials and lack of meconium defecation during the first 48 hours after birth. The patients were classified as high score and low score. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of our scoring system were calculated for identifying HD, in comparison with pathologically proved or ruled out HD.

RESULTS

Of the 55 patients, 36 (65.4%) cases had HD and 19 (34.6%) cases were without HD. In the HD group, 32 patients showed high scores and four patients had low scores. The sensitivity and specificity of our diagnostic scoring system were 88.9% (95% CI: 78.6% - 99.1%) and 84.2% (95% CI: 68.7% - 100%), respectively. Moreover, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were 91.4% (95% CI: 82.1% - 100%) and 80% (95% CI: 62.5% - 97.5%), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Our new scoring system of CE is a useful diagnostic method in HD. If a patient's score is high, that patient is highly suspicious to HD and reversely, when one's score is low, the patient presents a reduced probability to be diagnosed with HD.

The value of the 24-h delayed abdominal radiograph of barium enema in the diagnosis of Hirschsprung's disease

AIM OF STUDY

The objective of this study is to determine the diagnostic value of the 24-h delayed film for Hirschsprung's disease (HD). Other features of the barium enema were also examined, in particular the correlation between the radiological transition zone (TZ) and the final pathology.

METHODS

All patients with suspected HD from 2003 to 2013 who had undergone barium enema and rectal biopsy were reviewed retrospectively to study the correlation between radiological features of barium enema with the final diagnosis as well as severity.

RESULTS

A total of 182 patients were admitted for suspected HD during the study period, of which 82 had both investigations done. 68 patients had radiological features suggestive of the disease and ultimately, 12 patients had the disease confirmed with rectal biopsy. Among those without radiological features of HD, 2 patients were found to have the disease. Thus, the sensitivity of the 24-h delayed film was 85.7 % and the specificity was 17.6 %. The positive predictive value (PPV) of this test was 20.6 % and the negative predictive value (NPV) was 85.7 %. Regarding the level of TZ, it was not detected in the barium enema in 7 (50 %) out of the 14 patients. For those with the presence of TZ, 6 (85.7 %) of them correlated well with the intra-operative findings and 4 (57.1 %) of them correlated well with the final histology.

CONCLUSION

The 24-h delayed film of barium enema has a high NPV and is useful to rule out HD. However, rectal biopsy is still suggested for disease confirmation given its low PPV. Lastly, once present, the level of radiological TZ is also a useful predictor for the actual disease involvement.

Diagnosis of Hirschsprung's disease with particular emphasis on histopathology. A systematic review of current literature

Hirschsprung's disease (HD) is a disorder that involves several medical specialties such as paediatric gastroenterology, paediatric surgery, and pathology. Hirschsprung's disease is a congenital bowel innervation disorder characterised by the absence of ganglion cells in myenteric (Auerbach) and submucosal (Meissner) plexus in the distal colon in its classical form. Rapid and accurate diagnosis of HD is a key element in further treatment patterns. The efficiency of different diagnostic methods used in HD patients may vary. Using one limited diagnostic procedure can lead to as much as a few per cent of overlooked cases. In recent years, rectal biopsy was recognised as an important diagnostic tool that allows for a definitive HD diagnosis with an accuracy of 95% of cases. A correct diagnosis depends on the localisation of the biopsied sample, its representativeness, the number of specimens, and proper interpretation of microscopic studies supported by histochemical and immunohistochemical methods. When several methods are used and all diagnostic criteria are used, the diagnostic sensitivity can almost eliminate cases of undiagnosed patients.

Advances in Hirschsprung disease genetics and treatment strategies: an update for the primary care pediatrician

Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) is a multigenic condition with variable presentation. Most commonly, it presents in the neonatal period as a functional intestinal obstruction secondary to failure of caudal migration of the enteric nervous system. Classically, this manifests as dilated proximal bowel and constricted distal bowel with absent ganglia and hypertrophic nerve trunks. When recognized early, medical and surgical therapies can be instituted to minimize associated morbidity and mortality. This article reviews current understanding of the etiology of HSCR, its multigenic associations, the historical evolution of HSCR diagnosis and treatment, and current HSCR therapies.

Hirschsprung disease

Hirschsprung disease is a relatively common condition managed by pediatric surgeons. Significant advances have been made in understanding its etiologies in the last decade, especially with the explosion of molecular genetic techniques and early diagnosis. The surgical management has progressed from a two- or three-stage procedure to a primary operation. More recently, definitive surgery for Hirschsprung disease through minimally invasive techniques has gained popularity. In neonates, the advancement of treatment strategies for Hirschsprung disease continues with reduced patient morbidity and improved outcomes.

Analysis of problems, complications, avoidance and management with transanal pull-through for Hirschsprung disease

BACKGROUND

The primary aim of this study is to detail the problems, complications, their avoidance, and management with transanal pull-through developed from experience with 65 patients.

METHODS

A retrospective study of 65 patients who underwent transanal pull-through between January 2002 and December 2006 was conducted. Their medical charts and operative notes were reviewed for problems encountered during surgery, postoperative period, and follow-up.

RESULTS

In 46 patients, a primary transanal pull-through was performed, whereas in 19 with a prior colostomy, followed staged pull-through was done. The minimum follow-up was 6 months, with an average of 22 months after surgery (range, 6-47 months). Sixteen patients (25%) experienced at least 1 complication. These included inadvertent full-thickness mobilization of the rectum in 3 (4.6%), retraction and bleeding of colonic mesenteric vessels in 2 (3.7%), difficulty in mobilizing intraperitoneal colon in 1 (1.5%), and a false-positive frozen section in 2 patients (3%). Early postoperative complications occurred in 7 patients (11%), which included sphincter spasm in 3 (4.6%), anastomotic leak in 1 (1.5%), cuff abscess in 2 (3%), and enterocolitis in 1 (1.5%). Late postoperative complications in 46 patients (70%), occurring from 1 week till 3 months of follow-up included perianal excoriation in 22 (34%), increased stool frequency in 20 (31%), anal stenosis in 3 (4.6%), and enterocolitis in 2 patients (3%). Methodology is detailed for avoidance and management of problems and complications. Individual patient analysis, complications timing, and strategy for management are discussed.

CONCLUSION

Patient outcomes for transanal pull-through have improved significantly as a result of combination of experience and the ability to avoid and manage associated complications. Experience, avoidance, and interdiction are key factors in complication management.