Hirschsprung's Disease (Aganglionic Megacolon)

Abstract

HIRSCHSPRUNG'S disease has attracted the interest of physicians and surgeons for many years, and a voluminous medical literature has accumulated. The source of this interest was probably the perplexing nature of the disease. The patients' symptoms were those of partial mechanical obstruction; yet at operation or at post-mortem examination, such obstructive lesions were absent. It was generally assumed by surgeons that the massively dilated colon on the left side was the basic abnormality, and this prompted resection of this portion of the colon. Although this operation at times improved the child, the benefits were not lasting, with a gradual recurrence . . .