title: Hirschsprung's disease in Zaria, Nigeria: comparison of 2 consecutive decades.
abstract: This is a retrospective study of 136 histologically confirmed cases of Hirschsprung's disease (HD) seen and treated in a single centre over 2 consecutive decades spanning the years from 1972 to 1991. Forty-six cases were seen in the 1st 10 years and 90 in the 2nd. Certain factors were considered to be responsible for the observed improvement during the 2nd decade; these included improvements in the mode of bowel preparation, the use of more effective antimicrobial agents with a wider spectrum of activity for prevention and treatment of established infections, and improvements in the pre-operative nutritional status of the patients and in the staging of the operations. Morbidity was minimal. Mortality dropped from 28.3% in the 1st decade to 5.6% in the 2nd. Causes of mortality in the 1st decade were pneumonia (8), aspiration of gastric contents (2), undernutrition (2) and haemorrhage from a dislodged clamp several days following a Duhamel procedure (1). In the early part of the 2nd decade, three patients died from anastomotic dehiscence following the Swenson procedure and two from aspiration pneumonia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Nigeria.
authors.forename: P T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Nmadu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004573:Electrolytes / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006627:Hirschsprung Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009549:Nigeria; D009752:Nutritional Status; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004573:Electrolytes