Dr. Orvar Swenson and the Pull-Through

2019 ◽  
Vol 85 (12) ◽  
pp. 1311-1313
Author(s):  
John J. Newland ◽  
Katerina Dukleska ◽  
Scott Cowan ◽  
Charles J. Yeo ◽  
Renee Tholey
Keyword(s):  
Pediatric Surgery ◽  
Hirschsprung's Disease ◽  
Hirschsprung’S Disease ◽  
Toxic Megacolon ◽  
Bowel Function ◽  
Standard Textbook ◽  
Surgery Research ◽  
Peter Bent Brigham Hospital ◽  
Pull Through ◽  
Rectal Biopsies

Dr. Orvar Swenson is best remembered for developing the Swenson pull-through, a technique he developed to treat Hirschsprung's disease. After graduating from Harvard Medical School and beginning his residency at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, Dr. Swenson observed that patients with Hirschsprung's disease and toxic megacolon resumed normal bowel function after placement of transverse colostomies. His observation led to studying the patency of his patients’ colons using barium enema contrast studies. At the collapsed portion of the colon, he performed rectal biopsies leading to the discovery that the cause of Hirschsprung's disease is that the collapsed portion of the colon lacks the Auerbach plexus. The Swenson pull-through removes this aganglionic portion of the colon and cures the patient. His career grew from there as he traveled to academic institutions teaching his technique. He is remembered fondly for his contributions to pediatric surgery through the restructuring of pediatric surgery departments, pediatric surgery research, and writing and editing multiple volumes of Pediatric Surgery, the standard textbook for pediatric surgeons. He died peacefully in 2012 at the age of 103 years.

Long-Term Outcomes and Quality of Life in Patients after Soave Pull-Through Operation for Hirschsprung's Disease: An Observational Retrospective Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (05) ◽  
pp. 445-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tania Mahler ◽  
Martine Dassonville ◽  
Dinh Truong ◽  
Annie Robert ◽  
Philippe Goyens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Fecal Incontinence ◽  
Hirschsprung's Disease ◽  
Hirschsprung’S Disease ◽  
Bowel Function ◽  
Long Term Outcomes ◽  
Neurologic Impairment ◽  
Pull Through

Introduction Patients after pull-through operation for Hirschsprung's disease (HD) are at high risk of defecation disorders. This study aimed at investigating their long-term outcomes and quality of life (QoL) in comparison with controls. Patients and Methods Patients older than 5 years operated on for HD were interviewed to complete detailed questionnaires on bowel function. Patients without neurologic impairment were enrolled in a QoL survey to compare with controls matched for sex and age and selected randomly from the general population using sampling set in a ratio of four controls to one case of HD. Results In total, 53 operated patients were enrolled. Mean age of the patients was 16 ± 8 years, with 68% boys. Rectosigmoid aganglionosis was the most seen form of HD in 38 (72%) cases. Open Soave was performed in 40 (75.5%) cases, and minimally invasive surgery Soave (MIS Soave) in 13 (24.5%) cases. At investigation, prevalence of fecal incontinence and constipation were 22.6 and 13.2%, respectively. Regarding QoL survey, 45 patients and 180 controls were enrolled, excluding 8 patients with neurologic impairment. Thirty-seven (82.2%) patients were classified as having a good QoL (score ≥ 9 points); whereas six had a fair QoL (5–8 points) and two had a poor QoL (< 5 points). QoL score in the cases and the controls were 10.2 ± 2.5 and 11.9 ± 0.4 points, respectively. Long aganglionosis form of HD was significantly associated with a low QoL (score < 8 points), adjusted odds ratio = 9, 95% confidence interval [1.3; 64.1] (p < 0.05). In subscales analyses, the prevalence of each dimension including fecal continence, school absenteeism, unhappiness or anxiety, food restriction, and peer rejection was significantly higher in operated patients than in controls (p <0.001). Conclusion Although the QoL of patients operated on for HD in general was with good outcomes, fecal incontinence and constipation still are problematic issues and challenges in a high percentage of patients. Therefore, a long-term and multidisciplinary follow-up is essentially required for these patients.

Perioperative Complications of Transanal Pull-through Surgery for Hirschsprung's Disease

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (02) ◽  
pp. 152-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikko Pakarinen
Keyword(s):  
Surgical Complications ◽  
Hirschsprung's Disease ◽  
Hirschsprung’S Disease ◽  
Perioperative Complications ◽  
Surgical Techniques ◽  
Bowel Function ◽  
Optimal Operation ◽  
Surgical Approaches ◽  
Repeated Surgery ◽  
Pull Through

AbstractTransanal pull-through is currently one of the most commonly used operation to treat Hirschsprung's disease (HD) worldwide. It has undergone some technical modifications during the last decades and still contains variable surgical practices. As high quality comparative studies between different surgical approaches are missing, debate over the optimal operation for HD still continues. Transanal pull-through is associated with multiple potential complications, which may result in permanently impaired functional outcome, life-long morbidity, and significant social restrictions. Although some of the surgical complications can be successfully managed by repeated surgery, the best changes for optimal bowel function and fecal continence are lost. Surgical complications are best treated by efficient prevention with careful adherence to established surgical techniques and principles during the primary operation.

scholarly journals Diagnosis, Symptoms, and Outcomes of Hirschsprung’s Disease from the Perspective of Gender

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Granéli ◽  
Eero Dahlin ◽  
Anna Börjesson ◽  
Einar Arnbjörnsson ◽  
Pernilla Stenström
Keyword(s):  
Hirschsprung's Disease ◽  
Hirschsprung’S Disease ◽  
Bowel Function ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Postoperative Treatment ◽  
First Year ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Long Term Follow Up ◽  
Pull Through

Background/Aim. Hirschsprung’s disease (HD) has a skewed gender distribution, with a female to male ratio of 1 : 4. This study aims to examine differences between boys and girls with HD regarding preoperative features and postoperative treatment and outcome. Method. The first part of the study was conducted as a retrospective review of all HD patients who underwent transanal endorectal pull-through (TERPT). Pre-, peri-, immediate post-, and first-year postoperative data were collected. The second part was conducted as an observational cross-sectional study by comparing bowel function scores (BFS) determined by structured interviews of patients 4 years old and older. Results. Included were 39 boys and 12 girls. Of these, 25 boys and 9 girls were older than 4 years and participated in the BFS interview. Boys had a higher frequency of hospitalizations during the first postoperative year compared to girls (n=20 and n=2, p<0.05). At long-term follow-up, more boys reported abnormal frequency of defecation, 16 compared to 2 (p<0.05). There was no difference between genders in terms of preoperative symptoms and overall bowel function later. Conclusion. Boys with HD had more hospitalizations and a higher rate of abnormal frequency of defecation than girls with HD.

The Patients with Hirschsprung’s Disease Who Underwent Pull-Through at Age Less than 1 Year: Longitudinal Bowel Function

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (7) ◽  
pp. 2426-2439
Author(s):  
Chaeyoun Oh ◽  
Joong Kee Youn ◽  
Ji-Won Han ◽  
Hee-Beom Yang ◽  
Hyun-Young Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hirschsprung's Disease ◽  
Hirschsprung’S Disease ◽  
Bowel Function ◽  
Pull Through

scholarly journals The follow-up of the robotic-assisted Soave procedure for Hirschsprung’s disease in children

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tran Anh Quynh ◽  
Pham Duy Hien ◽  
Le Quang Du ◽  
Le Hoang Long ◽  
Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hirschsprung's Disease ◽  
Hirschsprung’S Disease ◽  
Pediatric Patients ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Dentate Line ◽  
Robotic Arms ◽  
Robotic Assisted ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Pull Through

AbstractRobotic surgery offers three-dimensional visualization and precision of movement that could be of great value to gastrointestinal surgeons. There were many previous reports on robotic technology in performing Soave colonic resection and pull-through for Hirschsprung’s disease in children. This study described the follow-up of the Robotic-assisted Soave procedure for Hirschsprung’s disease in children. Robotic-assisted endorectal pull-through was performed using three robotic arms and an additional 5-mm trocar. The ganglionic and aganglionic segments were initially identified by seromuscular biopsies. The rest of the procedure was carried out according to the Soave procedure. We left a short rectal seromuscular sleeve of 1.5–2 cm above the dentate line. From December 2014 to December 2017, 55 pediatric patients were operated on. Age ranged from 6 months to 10 years old (median = 24.5 months). The aganglionic segment was located in the rectum (n = 38), the sigmoid colon (n = 13), and the left colon (n = 4). The mean total operative time was 93.2 ± 35 min (ranging from 80 to 180 min). Minimal blood was lost during the surgery. During the follow-up period, 41 patients (74.6%) had 1–2 defecations per day, 12 patients (21.8%) had 3–4 defecations per day, and 2 patients (3.6%) had more than 4 defecations per day. Fecal incontinence, enterocolitis, and mild soiling occurred in three (5.4%), four (7.3%), and two pediatric patients, respectively. Robotic-assisted Soave procedure for Hirschsprung’s disease in children is a safe and effective technique. However, a skilled robotic surgical team and procedural modifications are needed.

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