title: [Surgical therapy of chronic constipation in pediatric age].
abstract: The authors report their experience in the treatment of the chronic constipation in paediatric age. During the last 3 years (1991-1994), 230 children presenting chronic constipation have been studied at the Strumental Gastroenterologic Department of Children Hospital Bambino Gesù; 19 of them (8%), 10 male and 9 female, were studied with anorectal manometry, defecography and Intestinal Transit test. All the patients had a overtone (high squeeze) of the anal sphincter and the medical treatment was unsuccessful. They underwent sphincteromyectomy by posterior approach. In 17 patients it has been obtained a notable improvement of the symptomatology with regularization of the evacuations. The simplicity of the surgical technique, the absence of complications and the obtained results confirm the validity of sphinteromyectomy in the therapy of the chronic constipation in paediatric age. Interoperating anorectal manometry proved to be essential both in modulating sphincteromyectomy and in its eventual complications.
authors.affiliation: Divisione di Chirurgia Pediatrica, Ospedale Bambino Gesù, Roma.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ponticelli
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Iacobelli
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mosiello
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Lucchetti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spagnoli
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001003:Anal Canal / Q000601:surgery*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003248:Constipation / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006984:Hypertrophy / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000503:physiopathology; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012189:Retrospective Studies