Functional outcomes of patients with short-segment Hirschsprung disease after transanal endorectal pull-through

BACKGROUND: Transanal endorectal pull-through (TEPT) is considered the most preferable treatment method for Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) since it is less invasive and has fewer morbidities than transabdominal pull-through. Here, functional outcomes in short-segment HSCR patients after TEPT were assessed and associated with the prognostic factors. METHODS: Krickenbeck classification was used to assess the functional outcomes in patients with HSCR after TEPT surgery at our institution from 2012 to 2020. RESULTS: Fifty patients were involved in this study. Voluntary bowel movement (VBM) was achieved in 82% of subjects. Nine (18%) subjects had soiling grade 1, while two (4%) and two (4%) patients suffered constipation that was manageable with diet and laxative agents, respectively. Patients who underwent TEPT at ≥ 4 years old tended to have soiling more than patients who underwent TEPT at < 4 years old (OR = 16.47 [95% CI 0.9–301.61]; p = 0.06), whereas patients with post-operative complications had 10.5-fold higher risk for constipation than patients without post-operative complications (p = 0.037; 95% CI 1.15–95.92). Multivariate analysis showed male sex was significantly associated with VBM (OR = 9.25 [95% CI 1.34–63.77]; p = 0.024), while post-operative complications were strongly correlated with constipation (OR = 10 [95% CI 1.09–91.44]; p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: The functional outcomes of HSCR patients after TEPT in our institution are considered relatively good. Moreover, the VBM, soiling, and constipation risk after TEPT might be affected by sex, age at TEPT performed, and post-operative complications, respectively, while the age at TEPT performed might not be associated with functional outcomes. Further multicenter studies with a larger sample size are necessary to clarify and confirm our findings.