Hirschsprung's disease
Hirschsprung's disease Causes
HD starts before a child is born. Normally, nerve cells start grow in the baby's intestine soon after the baby begins to develop in the womb. These nerve cells grow down from the top of the intestine all the way around to the anus. With HD, these nerve cells stop growing before they reach the end. The reason why the nerve cells stop growing are unknown.
Hirschsprung's disease Definition
Hirschsprung's disease is a condition that affects the large intestine (colon or large bowel) and leads to problems with passing stool. It's present when a baby is born (congenital) and arises from missing nerve cells in the muscles of a portion of the baby's colon.
Hirschsprung's disease Diagnosis
Abdominal X-ray may be used to screen for Hirschsprung's. If Hirschsprung's is present, as stool backs up in the colon, the X-ray may reveal reduced air in the colon or areas in which the colon has stretched wider than normal.
Hirschsprung's disease Symptoms and Signs
In newborns, signs may include: failure to pass stool within the first or second day of life; vomiting, including vomiting a green liquid called bile ? a digestive fluid produced in the liver; constipation or gas, which may make a newborn fussy; and diarrhea
Hirschsprung's disease Treatment
Surgery is the only known proven and effective treatment for Hirschsprung's disease. The procedure is known as pull-through surgery and involves removing the section of the colon that has no ganglia cells, then connecting the remaining healthy end of the colon to the rectum.