Nationwide outcomes of newborns with rectosigmoid versus long-segment Hirschsprung disease

Diagnostic accuracy of barium enema versus full-thickness rectal biopsy in children with clinically suspected Hirschsprung's disease: A comparative cross-sectional study

Background and Aims

Hirschsprung's disease (HSD) remains a common cause of pediatric intestinal obstruction. Barium contrast enema (BE) is the primary imaging modality for the evaluation of clinically suspected cases. Here, we aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of BE in children with clinically suspected HSD when compared to a gold standard full-thickness rectal biopsy (FTRB).

Methods

We recruited and consecutively enrolled children with clinically suspected HSD at two tertiary teaching hospitals. Participants underwent BE imaging and two radiologists interpreted the findings independently. Participants further underwent FTRB by pediatric surgeons as the confirmatory test. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) with the area under the curve (AUC) were calculated on Stata version 14.2, taking FTRB as the standard.

Results

We enrolled 55 cases, of which 49 completed the evaluation and were included in the final analysis. The median age was 9.4 months (interquartile range: 2-24], with a male-to-female ratio of 4.4:1. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of BE were 0.95 (95% confidence interval [CI] [0.81-0.99]), 0.73 (95% CI [0.39-0.94]), 0.92 (95% CI [0.82-0.97]), and 0.80 (95% CI [0.50-0.94]), respectively. On AUC, the diagnostic accuracy of BE compared to the confirmatory FTRB was 0.84 (95% CI [0.69-0.98]). The diagnostic accuracy was higher in neonates (ROC: 1.00) when compared to infants (ROC: 0.83) or those above 1 year of age (ROC: 0.798). HSD-suggestive BE findings were associated with absence of ganglion cells on FTRB (χ 2 = 23.301, p < 0.001). Inverted rectosigmoid ratio and transition zone were more sensitive in detecting HSD of 0.92 (95% CI [0.74-0.98]) and 0.81 (95% CI [0.63-0.92]), respectively.

Conclusion

BE is sufficiently accurate in the diagnosis of children with HSD, suggesting BE would likely be used to inform surgical management in settings where confirmatory biopsy is lacking. However, clinical judgment is warranted in interpreting negative BE findings.

Hirschsprung disease

Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) is a rare congenital intestinal disease that occurs in 1 in 5,000 live births. HSCR is characterized by the absence of ganglion cells in the myenteric and submucosal plexuses of the intestine. Most patients present during the neonatal period with the first meconium passage delayed beyond 24 h, abdominal distension and vomiting. Syndromes associated with HSCR include trisomy 21, Mowat-Wilson syndrome, congenital central hypoventilation syndrome, Shah-Waardenburg syndrome and cartilage-hair hypoplasia. Multiple putative genes are involved in familial and isolated HSCR, of which the most common are the RET proto-oncogene and EDNRB. Diagnosis consists of visualization of a transition zone on contrast enema and confirmation via rectal biopsy. HSCR is typically managed by surgical removal of the aganglionic bowel and reconstruction of the intestinal tract by connecting the normally innervated bowel down to the anus while preserving normal sphincter function. Several procedures, namely Swenson, Soave and Duhamel procedures, can be undertaken and may include a laparoscopically assisted approach. Short-term and long-term comorbidities include persistent obstructive symptoms, enterocolitis and soiling. Continued research and innovation to better understand disease mechanisms holds promise for developing novel techniques for diagnosis and therapy, and improving outcomes in patients.

Hospital Length of Stay and Surgery among European Children with Rare Structural Congenital Anomalies-A Population-Based Data Linkage Study

Little is known about morbidity for children with rare structural congenital anomalies. This European, population-based data-linkage cohort study analysed data on hospitalisations and surgical procedures for 5948 children born 1995-2014 with 18 rare structural congenital anomalies from nine EUROCAT registries in five countries. In the first year of life, the median length of stay (LOS) ranged from 3.5 days (anotia) to 53.8 days (atresia of bile ducts). Generally, children with gastrointestinal anomalies, bladder anomalies and Prune-Belly had the longest LOS. At ages 1-4, the median LOS per year was ≤3 days for most anomalies. The proportion of children having surgery before age 5 years ranged from 40% to 100%. The median number of surgical procedures for those under 5 years was two or more for 14 of the 18 anomalies and the highest for children with Prune-Belly at 7.4 (95% CI 2.5-12.3). The median age at first surgery for children with atresia of bile ducts was 8.4 weeks (95% CI 7.6-9.2) which is older than international recommendations. Results from the subset of registries with data up to 10 years of age showed that the need for hospitalisations and surgery continued. The burden of disease in early childhood is high for children with rare structural congenital anomalies.