Poster Session I - A86 REAL LIFE DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY OF HIGH-RESOLUTION ANORECTAL MANOMETRY FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF HIRSCHSPRUNG’S DISEASE IN CHILDREN
Abstract
Abstract Background High-Resolution Anorectal Manometry (HRARM) increasingly replaces conventional ARM for the assessment of the rectoanal inhibitory reflex (RAIR) for diagnosing Hirschsprung’s disease (HD). However, historic studies only included patients with a clinical suspicion of HD and its diagnostic accuracy in a broader pediatric population with severe constipation remains unclear. Aims We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of HRARM in diagnosing HD in children with severe constipation. Methods We retrospectively analyzed HRARM studies performed for severe constipation performed at CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, between April 2016 and April 2024. Patients were grouped by age: < 6 months old, 6-12 months old and ≥ 12 months old. RAIR was deemed positive when both reproducible and proportional to balloon volume. Results Among 702 patients, eleven (1.6%) were diagnosed with ultrashort or short-segment HD. Overall HRARM sensitivity was 82%, specificity 91%, PPV 13%, and NPV 99.6% (Table 1). Sensitivity increased with age, while specificity and PPV decreased. Two diagnoses were initially missed, both in children < 6 months old. False negatives occurred in infants 1 year. We recommend anorectal biopsy only in patients with absent or equivocal RAIR if supported by a suggestive clinical history. In infants
Fields of Study & Subjects
Congenital gastrointestinal and neural anomalies
Gastrointestinal motility and disorders
Intestinal Malrotation and Obstruction Disorders
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Journal of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology
- Volume
- 9
- Issue
- Supplement_1
- Publication date
- 1 February 2026
- Language
- EN