Hirschsprung Disease — Research Summary
Printed from RareWays (rareways.com.au) on 11 September 2026
For general awareness only. Not medical advice. Discuss all care options with your healthcare team.
5 Most Recent Research Articles
- 1.
Pseudo-Obstruction of the Colon Associated With Segmental Additional Muscle and Fibrous Coat: A Rare Specimen With Novel Quantitative Immunohistochemical Analysis.
D'Souza Lezia et al. — International journal of surgical pathology (1 October 2026)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42153450/
- 2.
PHOX2B polyalanine repeat mutation alters the transcriptome of neuronal progenitor cells in congenital central hypoventilation syndrome.
Stobdan Tsering et al. — Neurobiology of disease (1 October 2026)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42480943/
- 3.
Long-term bowel functional outcomes after surgery for Hirschsprung disease: a comparative study of Duhamel and transanal endorectal pull-through.
Namba Aika et al. — Pediatric surgery international (8 September 2026)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42709206/
- 4.
Macrophage-enteric nervous system crosstalk in Hirschsprung disease and associated enterocolitis: a focused narrative review with clinical implications.
Wang Xin et al. — Pediatric surgery international (6 September 2026)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42701977/
- 5.
Child health and education outcomes in children with Hirschsprung disease: a population-based data linkage study in England
Harron K et al. (4 September 2026)
https://europepmc.org/search?query=Child%20health%20and%20education%20outcomes%20in%20children%20wi
Clinical Trials — Currently Recruiting (Australia)
Ask your doctor whether you or your child may be eligible for any of these trials.
- 1.
Rare Disease Patient Registry & Natural History Study - Coordination of Rare Diseases at Sanford
Recruiting — Sanford Health
https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT01793168
Source: RareWays research directory. Data from PubMed, Europe PMC, OpenAlex, ClinicalTrials.gov.
Always verify information with your healthcare team before making any decisions about your care.
Hirschsprung Disease
Hirschsprung disease is a condition present from birth in which nerve cells are missing from the end of the bowel, so stool cannot move through normally. It usually shows up in newborns as constipation, a swollen abdomen or a bowel blockage. Treatment is surgery to remove the affected section of bowel, with ongoing follow-up of bowel function.
Most Recent Research
BackgroundChronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction refers to neuromuscular disorders causing ineffective motility without blockage. One rare cause is segmental additional muscle coat, a sharply defined smooth muscle band between the muscularis mucosae and muscularis propria. Segmental additional muscle coat is seldom reported and has been linked to developmental disorders like Hirschsprung's disease. We report a rare specimen of colonic segmental additional muscle coat with emphasis on quantitative assessment.SpecimenIn our specimen, the patient had lifelong severe constipation and multiple surgeries, including subtotal colectomy due to imminent perforation. Macroscopically, the colon showed marked dilation with mucosal thinning and a distal stenotic segment with wall thickening.MethodsWe performed histological, immunohistochemical, and novel quantitative analysis to characterize the additional muscle layer's structure and cellular composition-an approach not previously described.ResultsHistology revealed a sharply defined smooth muscle layer within the submucosa, distinct from the muscularis propria, and containing fibrosis. The additional layer was identified exclusively in the distal colon, corresponding to the region of pseudo-obstruction. Quantitative desmin immunostaining showed significantly lower smooth muscle content in the segmental additional muscle coat (43.3%) compared to the muscularis propria (95.5%), with the remainder being fibrous tissue. Calretinin highlighted nerve elements, while DOG1 demonstrated interstitial cells of Cajal in the muscularis propria (2.99%) but only minimally in the segmental additional muscle coat (0.75%).ConclusionThis specimen highlights segmental additional muscle coat as a rare structural abnormality causing colonic pseudo-obstruction. The novel use of quantitative immunohistochemistry provides new insight into its cellular and stromal composition, supporting a developmental origin and expanding the pathological understanding of chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction.
Common Questions
What is Hirschsprung Disease?
Hirschsprung disease is a condition present from birth in which nerve cells are missing from the end of the bowel, so stool cannot move through normally. It usually shows up in newborns as constipation, a swollen abdomen or a bowel blockage. Treatment is surgery to remove the affected section of bowel, with ongoing follow-up of bowel function.
How many clinical trials are available for Hirschsprung Disease?
RareWays currently indexes 49 clinical trials for Hirschsprung Disease, of which 11 are actively recruiting. Trial availability changes as new studies are registered — check the trials tab for current status.
Where does the research data for Hirschsprung Disease come from?
RareWays aggregates research from PubMed, Europe PMC, OpenAlex, and ClinicalTrials.gov. Data is updated regularly by Rocky, RareWays' automated research engine. All articles and trials link directly to their original sources.
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This information is for general awareness only.
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