Diagnosis and surgical approach of adult Hirschsprung's disease: About two observations and review of the literature. Case series

Adult Hirschsprung's disease presenting as chronic constipation: a case report

BACKGROUND

Hirschsprung's disease is a congenital disorder identified by the absence of ganglion cells at the Meissner's plexus of the submucosa and Auerbach's plexus of the muscularis. This disease can be found in approximately 1 in 5000 live births. It is a congenital disorder that is rarely diagnosed in adults, where 95% of cases are diagnosed in infants aged under 1 year old. Here we present a rare case of adult Hirschsprung's disease to enrich the body of knowledge  in diagnosing adult patients with chronic refractory constipation symptoms.

CASE REPORT

An 18-year-old Indonesian woman came to the general surgery department of Unggul Karsa Medika Teaching Hospital with a defecating problem (constipation) since childhood. There was no history of her passage of meconium. A contrast enema study showed that the sigmoid colon was dilated and the rectum was narrowed, with rectosigmoid index < 1. With these findings, it was suspected that the patient may have ultra-short segment Hirschsprung's disease. The patient was then referred to the digestive surgery department of referral hospital for surgical treatment.

CONCLUSION

In adult patients presenting with history of constipation since childhood, it is necessary to consider the possibility of Hirschsprung's disease that was not diagnosed in early childhood. Hirschsprung's disease in adults is usually a short or ultra-short aganglionic segment because it shows relatively mild symptoms. Surgical removal of the aganglionic segment of the gut is the definitive treatment for Hirschsprung's disease.

Adult Hirschprung's disease diagnosed postoperatively: A case report

Background

Case presentation

Conclusion

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Hirschprung's disease should be included in the differential diagnosis of constipation in adults.

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Many patients ignore their symptoms for a long time, out of negligence or fear.

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A higher threshold of suspicion is advised. Wrong treatments without knowing the diagnosis of HD can have negative results.

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More should be done regarding public education on the effective management of constipation.

Hirschsprung's Disease in Adults Revealed by an Occlusive Syndrome

Hirschsprung's disease (HD) in adults is rare, occurring before the age of five years in 90% of cases. It is characterized by the absence of ganglion cells in a colorectal segment, resulting in functional obstruction and an upstream colonic dilatation.

HD should be considered in front of any history of chronic constipation. The diagnosis is based on a combination of clinical, manometric, radiological, and histological findings. Surgery is the basis of the treatment and consists of the resection of the aganglionic segment, followed by restoration of continuity between the two healthy segments.

We report here the case of a 20-year-old man who presented to the ER with an occlusive syndrome, which initially required a loop colostomy for decompression. History, clinical presentation, and radiological findings were suggestive of HD, but additional diagnostic methods including manometry and biopsy were employed but proved negative. Given the available data, the patient underwent a colectomy with a latero-terminal ileorectal anastomosis. Histological findings of the surgical specimen confirmed the diagnosis of HD.

Adult Hirschsprung's disease: A case report and literature review

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Adult Hirschprung’s Disease (AHD) can be a difficult diagnosis to make, due to its rarity.

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We report a possible case of AHD and conduct a systematic review of the literature.

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A typical patient would be male, average age of 30-years-old, with a history of chronic constipation complicated by repeated acute obstruction.

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Surgical resection, such as with Duhamel’s procedure, is curative.

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Early identification of these patients and definitive diagnoses would eliminate unnecessary and ineffective surgical interventions.

Introduction & importance

Adult Hirschsprung’s disease (AHD) is a difficult diagnosis to make due to its rarity, frequently after emergency interventions have been conducted. We present a case of possible AHD and sketch a classic presentation of Adult Hirschsprung’s Disease. This would help recognize and include AHD in the differential diagnoses of chronic constipation where appropriate.

Case presentation

The case involved a 41-year-old male with a history of multiple abdominal surgeries for volvuli and a ventral hernia repair complicated by post-operative SBO. Presenting symptoms were chronic constipation, abdominal colic, and dilation. SBO secondary to volvulus was discovered, decompressed, and emptied of 3000cc fecal material in the OR. His case was again complicated twice by SBO which led to the suspicion of AHD and instigated this systematic review. Papers were extracted from the EBSCO and PubMed databases. Papers were excluded if patients were younger than 10 years old.

Clinical discussion

The classic patient will be a male over the age of 10 years old with an average age of 30 years old and a long history of chronic constipation, often complicated by an acute symptomatic obstruction. Patients may have had a history of multiple surgical or non-surgical interventions to relieve their constipation.

Conclusion

AHD is being seen more frequently with the increasing availability of healthcare in underserved areas of the world. Duhamel’s procedure is the most effective procedure after diagnosis has been made. Barium enema and a biopsy show hypo- or a-ganglionic segments that are to be resected for curative purposes.