Pathologically Assessed Grade of Hirschsprung-associated Enterocolitis in Resected Colon in Children with Hirschsprung's Disease Predicts Postoperative Bowel Function.

PURPOSE:The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the grade of enterocolitis on pathological assessment of resected colon and postoperative bowel function in children with Hirschsprung's disease (HD).METHODS:Children with HD who were seen at a large tertiary center from January 2012 to December 2013 were enrolled into this study. Resected colon was assessed using the histopathologic grade scoring system for Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis (HAEC), and the relationship of these scores to postoperative bowel function was assessed. Time of recovery to normal defecation was the primary outcome measure. The t-test, analysis of variance, and Kaplan-Meier, univariate, and multiple regression analyses were performed.RESULTS:Eighty children with HD (median age at repair 7.9months; range 1.3months to 9years) were included in the study. Nineteen children dropped out of the study and were considered as providing censored data, giving a follow-up rate of 76.3%. A total of 21 children (34.4%) were admitted to hospital with at least one episode of enterocolitis. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models showed that compared with patients with a normal proximal colon, those with an inflamed proximal segment had a 1.5-fold higher risk of a poor recovery. Logistic regression analyses suggested that postoperative HAEC admissions increased by 57% with each HAEC pathological grade of the transitional segment and by 50% with each grade of the overall segment. Compared with normal bowel in the transitional segment, the detection of grade ≥3 HAEC in the transitional area increased the incidence of postoperative HAEC by 4.75-fold.CONCLUSIONS:Children whose resected proximal colon showed inflammation on pathological assessment were at risk of poor recovery after surgery. A higher pathological HAEC score for the sum of the overall three segments suggested an increased risk for the subsequent development of enterocolitis. Among three segments, the severity of enterocolitis in the transitional segment was the most significant factor in predicting postoperative HAEC.TYPE OF STUDY:Clinical study.LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:Moderate.