Impact of Colorectal Nurse Specialist supervised parental administration of rectal washouts on Hirschsprung’s disease outcomes: a retrospective review

Purpose To highlight the utility of Colorectal Nurse Specialist (CNS) supervised parental administration of rectal washouts in the management of Hirschsprung’s disease (HD). Methods Retrospective case note review of HD patients treated at a tertiary children’s hospital in United Kingdom from January 2011 to December 2022. Data collected included demographics, complications, enterocolitis, obstructive symptoms and stomas. Primary pull-through (PT) is done 8–12 weeks after birth. Parental expertise in performing rectal washouts at home is ensured by our CNS team before and after PT. Results PT was completed in 69 of 74 HD patients. Rectal washouts were attempted on 63 patients before PT. Failure of rectal washout efficacy necessitated a stoma in four patients (6.4%). Of the 65 patients who had PT and stoma closed, three (4.5%) required a further stoma over a mean follow-up period of 57 months (Range 7–144 months). Two of these had intractable diarrhoea due to Total Colonic Aganglionosis (TCA). One patient (1.5%) had unmanageable obstructive symptoms requiring re-diversion. Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis (HAEC) requiring hospital admission occurred in 14 patients (21%). Conclusion Our stoma rates are lower compared to recent UK data. This could potentially be due to emphasis on parental ability to perform effective rectal washouts at home under CNS supervision.