ARM: Aftercare and impact from the perspective of the family

Abstract

The birth of a child with an imperforate anus is not only a surgical challenge, but also a shocking event for a partnership and the whole family. Neither parents nor physicians, who have no regular contact with such cases, can imagine how this event (and the efforts for a definitive solution by pull-through surgery) will influence the social system around this handicapped individual. A diagnosis of anorectal anomaly (anorectal malformation, ARM) no longer means a death sentence, and over the last 6 decades, surgical treatment has became more and more successful, especially after the introduction of the current gold standard of posterior sagittal anorectoplasty (PSARP). For this reason, secondary issues have become more and more relevant. There are methods of improved follow-up and coping with this special situation by both patients and families. © 2006 Springer-Verlag.