What is megacolon

Speaking of megacolon, most people may not have heard of this disease. Megacolon is generally divided into congenital and acquired. Suffering from this disease is very harmful to human health. Congenital megacolon is the result of the lack of ganglion cells in the human colon, which leads to continuous spasm of the intestinal tract. It is a congenital intestinal disease in children and has a great impact on the baby's health.

Hirschsprung's disease is a completely different disease from intestinal aganglionosis, which is the most common congenital malformation of the gastrointestinal tract. The incidence rate is as high as one in five thousand, and it is more common in men than in women.

The cause of this disease is still unclear. Most scholars believe that it is closely related to genetics. The pathogenesis of this disease is the absence of ganglion cells in the distal intestine, or their dysfunction, which causes the intestine to be in a spasmodic and narrow state, the intestine is not smooth, and the proximal intestine is compensatory and enlarged, with thickening of the wall. This disease may sometimes be associated with other malformations.

Symptoms

1. No meconium excretion or delayed excretion of meconium after birth;

2. Patients may experience abdominal pain, bloating, and vomiting;

3. Anemia and weight loss;

4. The abdomen is highly distended, and a thick intestinal pattern can be seen in the abdomen;

5. Rectal examination: a large amount of gas and loose stools will be discharged when the fingers are pushed out.

Diagnosis

1. The fetus may not have a bowel movement or the bowel movement may be delayed after birth.

2. The abdomen is highly distended, and a thick intestinal pattern can be seen in the abdomen;

3. Rectal examination: a large amount of gas and loose stools are expelled with the fingers;

4. Barium enema showed that the junction of the narrow and dilated intestinal tubes was "bird beak-shaped";

5. Pathological examination of rectal biopsy confirmed the absence of ganglion cells.

What are the dangers of Hirschsprung's disease?

1. Large amounts of blood in the stool: Blood in the stool is one of the main clinical manifestations of Hirschsprung's disease, and the amount of blood in the stool is also an indicator of the severity of the disease. The heavy blood in the stool mentioned here refers to heavy intestinal bleeding in a short period of time, accompanied by increased pulse, decreased blood pressure and decreased hemoglobin, which requires blood transfusion treatment.

2. Intestinal stenosis: It often occurs in cases with extensive lesions and a duration of more than 5-25 years. It is mostly located in the left colon, sigmoid colon or rectum. It is generally asymptomatic clinically. In severe cases, it can cause intestinal obstruction. When intestinal stenosis occurs in this disease, be alert to tumors and distinguish between benign and malignant.

3. Intestinal perforation: It is mostly a complication of toxic intestinal dilatation, but it may also be severe. It often occurs in the left colon. The use of corticosteroids is considered to be a risk factor for intestinal perforation.

treat:

Patients with long spastic intestinal segments and severe constipation must undergo radical surgery. The most commonly used surgeries are: ① pull-out proctosigmoid resection (Swenson's procedure); ② colectomy and rectal pull-out colon resection (Duhamel's procedure); ③ rectal mucosal dissection and colon pull-out resection of the rectal muscle sheath (Soave's procedure). If the child develops acute enterocolitis, crisis or nutritional developmental disorders and cannot tolerate a radical surgery, intravenous fluid infusion and blood transfusion should be given, and radical surgery should be performed after the general condition improves. If the enteritis cannot be controlled and abdominal distension and vomiting do not stop, intestinal fistula should be performed in time, and radical surgery should be performed later.