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Mortality due to constipation and short-segment Hirschsprung's disease.

Singh SJ, Arbuckle S, Little D, Manglick MP, Cass D

Department of Paediatric Surgery, University Hospital, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK. shailinder.singh@mail.qmcuh-tr.trent.nhs.uk

We report a case of mortality secondary to constipation. A 12-year-old child with a history of constipation from the age of 9 years presented in moribund condition with intestinal obstruction secondary to idiopathic constipation. He underwent laparotomy and died within 24 h of operation. At postmortem there was no evidence of abnormalities of the enteric nervous system. A 2nd case of early neonatal death from Hirschsprung's disease is presented to demonstrate that short-segment aganglionosis can be detected at postmortem. Enterocolitis can rapidly progress and be fatal in short-segment Hirschsprung's disease.

Published 27 January 2005 in Pediatr Surg Int, 20(11): 889-91.
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