A follow-up study on postoperative function after a transanal Soave 1-stage endorectal pull-through procedure for Hirschsprung's disease

Abstract Objective The aim of the study is to appraise bowel movements in children with Hirschsprung's disease (HD) after a transanal Soave 1-stage endorectal pull-through (TAS) procedure. Methods From October 2000 to October 2004, 44 patients with HD underwent a TAS procedure, 35 had a Soave operation via a laparotomy, 29 underwent a Soave procedure via laparoscopy, and 39 had an Ikeda-Soper procedure; the patients were followed up from 1 to 5 years after surgery. Evaluation of the perioperative therapeutic effect and postoperative bowel movements between the 4 groups were analyzed by Kelly's score and anorectal manometry. Results The TAS procedure required less operative time and costs than the Soave procedure via laparotomy or laparoscopy ( P P P Conclusions The TAS procedure is more suitable than the Soave operation via laparotomy or laparoscopy and Ikeda-Soper procedure and is feasible in infants with short segment type and common type HD.