Viscoelastic properties of the rectal wall in Hirschsprung's disease

Abstract

Viscoelastic properties of the rectal wall were compared in 30 normal children and in 28 children with Hirschsprung's disease. The elasticity of the rectal wall after accommodation to distension was found to be significantly greater (P<0.001) in patients, and the time taken by the rectum to accommodate was also found to be longer (P<0.001). The increased elasticity correlated well with severity of the illness, but none of the parameters correlated with length of aganglionic segment. Measuring elastic properties of the rectal wall may help to assess the severity of illness in patients with Hirschsprung's disease.