children s health issues
Hirschsprung Disease
Introduction
Hirschsprung disease is a Overview of Birth Defects in which a section of the large intestine is missing the nerve network that controls the intestine's rhythmic contractions. Symptoms of This defect affects the large intestine so that normal bowel contractions do not occur at that location. Typical symptoms include delayed passage of meconium in the newborn, vomiting, refusing to eat, and a swollen abdomen in later infancy. The diagnosis is based on a rectal biopsy and measurement of the pressure inside the rectum. Surgery is done to restore the normal passage of food through the intestines. The Large Intestine depends on a network of nerves within its walls to synchronize rhythmic contractions and move digested material toward the anus, where the material is expelled as feces. In Hirschsprung disease, the affected section of intestine cannot contract normally. Without these normal contractions, material in the intestines builds up. Sometimes, Hirschsprung disease can lead to life-threatening enterocolitis, which is inflammation of the large intestine (colon). (See also Overview of Digestive Tract Birth Defects .) 