Hirschsprung’s disease is a complex disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. 7 cm of the child’s intestine had no nerve endings, which provoked constant bloating and constipation. Specialists of St. Nicholas Children’s Hospital established the correct diagnosis and successfully operated on the girl.
4-year-old Veronichka has had problems with the gastrointestinal tract since she was born. Even when she was just a baby, her parents realized that everything was not right with their daughter. The baby vomited the mixture, and an unpleasant smell came from the mouth. When Veronichka grew up and started eating normal food, these symptoms seemed to disappear and the child seemed healthy. But later the symptoms of the disease returned and intensified. Veronichka constantly suffered from abdominal distension, pain in the left hypochondrium, and severe constipation. The parents searched for a long time for the cause of their daughter’s illness, consulted various doctors and even received treatment abroad. However, it was not possible to establish a diagnosis for a long time.
After returning to Ukraine, Veronichka’s family turned to the specialists of the Saint Nicholas Children’s Hospital for help. Here, doctors suspected that the girl might have a complex congenital defect of the intestines. So the child underwent a biopsy. The examination confirmed the assumptions of specialists – Veronichka was diagnosed with Hirschsprung’s disease, in which part of the intestine simply does not have nerve endings, which means that it cannot perform its function. In fact, it is chronic intestinal obstruction. This defect occurs in 1 in 5,000 children. Most often – in boys. It is important to diagnose and operate on the pathology in childhood, because with age this ailment can lead to serious complications and even death.
In Veronika, Hirschsprung’s disease affected 7 cm of the intestine. The only treatment for this defect is surgical removal of the non-functioning area that leads to intestinal obstruction. Surgeons of St. Nicholas Hospital performed a minimally invasive surgical intervention on a 4-year-old girl. It is safer and faster. Instead of six hours, the doctors operated only three. After only a 5 mm puncture, surgeons removed the affected part of the intestine and joined the healthy fragments. In just a few days, the intestine took root and fully restored its function. Now Veronichka feels well and has already returned home – healthy.
In order to diagnose Hirschsprung’s disease qualitatively, special equipment is needed. Specialists of St. Nicholas Hospital have been detecting this congenital pathology in children for many years and successfully operated on it.