Surgical Procedures for Hirschsprung Disease
Between 75 and 80% of Hirschsprung cases can be completed transanally, reaching normal ganglionic bowel from below.
The concordance between pathology and radiology is 75% in rectosigmoid Hirschsprung patients, meaning 25% are discordant.
Host summaryTodd Ponsky summarizing the discussion — not the host's own clinical position5:30
Concordance between pathology and radiology is only 25% for long-segment Hirschsprung disease.
Host summaryTodd Ponsky summarizing the discussion — not the host's own clinical position5:39
If you start transanally and cannot reach ganglionic bowel, you simply open the abdomen and continue the resection—this is not a complication.
Expert opinionAlberto Peña6:28
When starting laparoscopically, you can look at the bowel and often tell what looks normal vs. abnormal, then take a biopsy at that level.
If you start transanally and break through the peritoneum, it can be difficult to maintain pneumoperitoneum when you then go laparoscopically.
Laparoscopic dissection is easy and gives you a head start when doing the transanal portion.
Expert opinionTodd Ponsky8:18
Transanal approach results in absolutely no scar, and patients have minimal postoperative pain.
The main problems in Hirschsprung surgery are related to surgeon inexperience and technical incapacity, not the approach (laparoscopic vs. transanal vs. open).
Expert opinionAlberto Peña11:10
A bad surgeon will damage the patient both ways—laparoscopically or transanally.
Expert opinionAlberto Peña11:37
The basic goal of Hirschsprung surgery is not to damage the sphincter mechanism, which has been damaged by both laparoscopic and non-laparoscopic techniques.
Patients complain about fecal incontinence, not the size of the scar.
Expert opinionAlberto Peña12:17
When doing transanal dissection, the Lone Star retractor hooks should be placed at the pectinate line to protect the entire anal canal.
Surgeons must be careful not to stretch the anus too much during transanal dissection, as excessive stretch damages the sphincter mechanism and causes fecal incontinence.
The dissection should start 2 centimeters deep inside the rectum from the pectinate line, using multiple silk stitches to distribute tension and avoid tissue damage.
Dr. de la Torre originally started the transanal operation submucosally and rectally; Dr. Peña prefers full-thickness dissection like Dr. Swenson used to do.
Biopsies should be taken every 5 centimeters during transanal dissection until normal ganglionic bowel is found, then go 5 centimeters higher.
A two-layer anastomosis is performed: the first layer takes seromuscular of the bowel and tissue above the divided rectum; the second layer is mucosa-to-mucosa.
Keys to successful transanal surgery: respect the pectinate line and anal canal, don't stretch the anus too much, mobilize rectum to ensure ganglionic bowel with good blood supply, and perform anastomosis with no tension.
Prone position is preferred over lithotomy for transanal surgery because the surgeon is not the only one who can see, the field is not vertical, and instruments are not lost.
Expert opinionAlberto Peña17:22
Leaving 1-2 centimeters of aganglionic bowel does not explain why patients don't behave well postoperatively.
Expert opinionAlberto Peña18:30
Some patients operated with exactly the same technique do beautifully like normal individuals, while others have symptoms of enterocolitis, and we don't know why.
The majority of patients who come with symptoms of retention (enterocolitis or constipation) after pull-through do NOT have a portion of aganglionic bowel left—they simply behave that way.
A few patients do have an obvious piece of aganglionic bowel left, but usually it's much more than 2 centimeters.
When you finish the operation, the 2 centimeters of bowel you left above the pectinate line are already damaged, so you are very near the pectinate line.
The real concern about transanal surgery is fecal incontinence, which happens when the anal canal is damaged.
Expert opinionAlberto Peña22:21
When we remove the rectum of a human being, we are already seriously affecting the mechanisms of bowel control because we are removing the natural reservoir.
Even adult ulcerative colitis patients with perfect operations and intact anal canals have problems with bowel control—they have accidents at night.
After removing the rectum, we connect a piece of colon that is constantly moving with peristalsis, whereas the rectum normally rests and only moves when it wants to empty.
Removing the rectum in a child results in passing stool constantly, requiring an intact anal canal, sensation, intact sphincter, and cooperation for bowel control.