Tag Archive for: incontinence

girl playing basketball

Sphincter reconstruction offers new hope for children with Hirschsprung disease

girl playing basketball

After surgery, patients reported sleeping better, higher productivity, the ability to participate in sports and be away from home with confidence.

A new surgical procedure successfully addresses a common lingering challenge — incontinence – faced by some families with young children who have undergone surgery for Hirschsprung disease. This first-of-its kind procedure was pioneered by surgeons in the Division of Colorectal and Pelvic Reconstruction at Children’s National Hospital, led by Division Chief Marc Levitt, M.D.

The 12-month outcomes for early recipients of the procedure appear in the Journal of Pediatric Surgery.

Why it matters

“The goal of surgery for Hirschsprung disease is to give a child a chance to have normal bowel function, which plays a significant role in their quality of life,” says Dr. Levitt, who served as senior author on the study. “But sometimes after a child receives their pull-through operation — the first surgical step to treat Hirschsprung — they continue to be incontinent. This novel follow-up procedure is offering these kids and their families new hope for a more normal life.”

Hirschsprung disease is a congenital condition that affects one in 5,000 children each year. Children with this condition develop a host of health problems including intestinal blockage and severe constipation, caused by the inability of the colon, or large intestine, to work properly.

The pull-through procedure is the best treatment for children with Hirschsprung disease. The procedure removes the portion of the intestine that does not function so that the child can regain control.

However, after the procedure, some children continue to experience incontinence that requires routine enemas for their entire lives. Before now there was no solution to this problem.

Why we’re excited

The new pilot study shows long-term outcomes for seven patients between the ages of 2 and 18 who underwent the novel technical approach called sphincter reconstruction. Each of the seven were diagnosed with an anatomic or physical issue contributing to their incontinence. It was during a repair procedure for the first patient that Dr. Levitt and his team had the idea of a technique for sphincter reconstruction. After that, six more patients with similar anatomy were offered the procedure.

Four of the six now have normal bowel function. They reported sleeping better, higher productivity, the ability to participate in sports and be away from home with confidence. The remaining two have behavioral conditions that have delayed their progress but are on their way to similar success.

The patient benefit

“Parents and caregivers have told us repeatedly about how much enemas negatively impact their family quality of life,” says Dr. Levitt. “That’s what makes this exciting — this validated surgical approach offers new hope for families who previously thought their child would face a lifetime of issues that would limit their freedom. Now, we finally have something to offer.”

Colorectal clinic with Marc Levitt, MD, and patient families

Early promise of sphincter reconstruction for Hirschsprung disease

Colorectal clinic with Marc Levitt, MD, and patient families

A team of surgeons, led by international pediatric colorectal expert Marc Levitt, M.D., has developed a new surgical approach to tighten, or reconstruct, the sphincters of Hirschsprung patients who have true fecal incontinence after a pull-through procedure.

A team of surgeons, led by international pediatric colorectal expert Marc Levitt, M.D., has developed a new surgical approach to tighten, or reconstruct, the sphincters of Hirschsprung patients who have true fecal incontinence after a pull-through procedure.

Early cases using this approach were outlined in a study published in the Journal of Pediatric Surgery. Though only performed in a handful of patients so far, the authors write, “We feel confident to offer this procedure to other patients with a similar anatomic concern.”

The people who care for Hirschsprung disease patients, including the team at the Pediatric Colorectal and Pelvic Reconstruction Division at Children’s National, continue to seek better approaches for these issues because soiling and fecal incontinence are rare but devastating complications that can occur after children have a pull-through procedure.

“In the presence of an intact continence mechanisms, the anal sphincters and the dentate line, patients with Hirschsprung disease should do well and have bowel control.  For some with soiling, this can be improved with treatment of constipation or hypermotility,” the authors write. “However, patients with a damaged anal canal and/or sphincter mechanism are unable to sense stool and distension of the neorectum or hold the stool in, which can lead to true fecal incontinence.”

Currently, there is no optimal treatment for the fecal incontinence that these patients experience. This repair procedure pioneered by surgeons at Children’s National offers a promising option to help get children with Hirschsprung disease one step closer to a happier, less stressful life.

inqueries have come from 21 countries

A look back at the first year of the Colorectal & Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery Division

The Division of Colorectal & Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery celebrates its one-year anniversary this month. Here’s a look back at the team’s accomplishments as the first integrated center for pediatric colorectal care in the mid-Atlantic region.

ARM index webinar

Colorectal team presents virtual conference sessions

The 6th Annual Alex Pediatric Surgery Congress and 1st Nile of Hope Hospital Congress conference, in cooperation with Colorectal Team Overseas (CTO), provides updates in colorectal, urogenital disorders and pelvic reconstructions in pediatrics. The Children’s National Hospital colorectal team was due to present at the conference in Alexandria, Egypt, in April 2020, but due to the global COVID-19 pandemic the event was indefinitely postponed. Despite this, Marc Levitt, M.D., Colorectal and Pelvic Reconstructive Surgeon at Children’s National, and Founder and Head of the CTO, presented educational sessions virtually to Egyptian surgeons throughout the month of April.

Anorectal malformation case presentation

Surgeons assemble in a virtual Zoom session for a case presentation on anorectal malformations by Marc Levitt, M.D., and the Children’s National colorectal team.

The video conferences allowed surgeons and experts to come together and foster the global collaboration that benefits colorectal teams and patients worldwide. The first session included 70 pediatric surgeons from Egypt and grew to over 128 attendees in the last session. The presentations spanned a variety of topics and can be accessed at the links below:

Joining Dr. Levitt in the discussion were members of the Children’s National colorectal nursing team, including Julie Choueiki, Program Manager, Justine Garofalo, CPNP, Meghan Mesa, Tara Garbarino, CPNP, and Katherine Worst, CPNP-AC. The integrated Children’s National colorectal team elevates the significance of the nursing role in caring for complex patients. For example, cases in the Bowel Management Program require hours of ongoing nursing care. The team demonstrated the partnership that benefits children when surgeons include and value nursing presence in the care of colorectal patients.

Moving forward, the team will bring continued virtual, telehealth collaboration and education. Doing so will expand the potential for more colorectal patients to receive the care they need.

Marc Levitt

Premier pediatric colorectal program opens doors at Children’s National

Marc Levitt

“With the broad range of expertise at Children’s National, including the nation’s best NICU, I’m confident that colorectal patients will get better, integrated care faster and more effectively here than anywhere else in the world,” says Marc Levitt, M.D.

World-renowned surgeon opens first program for care and treatment of colorectal conditions in the mid-Atlantic.

A new, highly-specialized surgical program at Children’s National Hospital is expected to draw patients from around the world. The colorectal surgery program is the first in the mid-Atlantic region to fully integrate surgery, urology, gynecology and gastroenterology into one cohesive program for children. The program is led by Marc Levitt, M.D., an internationally recognized expert in the surgical care and treatment of pediatric colorectal disorders who has performed over 10,000 surgeries to address a wide spectrum of problems involving the colon and rectum – more than any other full time practicing pediatric surgeon in the world.

“In the 25 years that I’ve been passionate about helping children with colorectal and pelvic conditions, I’ve learned that collaborative and integrated programs are the best way to care for them,” says Dr. Levitt. “With the broad range of expertise at Children’s National, including the nation’s best NICU, I’m confident that colorectal patients will get better, integrated care faster and more effectively here than anywhere else in the world.”

The program provides diagnosis and treatment for every type of colorectal disorder occurring in infants, children and adolescents, from the most common to the most complex. Every necessary specialty is integrated into the program in one convenient location to provide seamless care for all colon and rectum conditions, with particular expertise in:

  • Anorectal malformations
  • Cloacal malformations
  • Chronic constipation and fecal incontinence
  • Fecal and urinary incontinence related to spinal conditions such as spina bifida
  • Hirschsprung disease
  • Motility disorders

“Every child receives a customized treatment plan to address his or her unique needs,” Dr. Levitt says about the program. “Additionally, our surgeons often combine complex procedures across specialties to reduce the number of surgeries a child requires. It isn’t unusual for us to include urology, gynecology, and gastroenterology teams in the operating room alongside the colorectal surgeons so multiple issues can be addressed in a single procedure – we know that when possible, fewer surgeries is always better for the child.”

Dr. Levitt has cared for children from 50 states and 76 countries. He is the founder of Colorectal Team Overseas (CTO), a group of international providers who travel to the developing world to provide care for patients and teaching of their physicians and nurses. He co-founded the Pediatric Colorectal and Pelvic Learning Consortium (PCPLC), an organization of collaborating colorectal centers across the globe.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome Marc Levitt and launch the comprehensive colorectal program under his expert leadership,” adds Anthony Sandler, M.D., surgeon-in-chief and vice president of the Joseph E. Robert, Jr., Center for Surgical Care at Children’s National. “There are few in the world who can provide the expertise and leadership in colorectal diagnoses and treatment that Marc brings with him to Children’s. Many children and families from the region and from around the world will benefit from his expertise and from the program in general.”