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Corresponding Author

[email protected]

Subject Area

Pediatric Surgery

Article Type

Original Study

Abstract

Background/purpose: Anorectal malformations (ARM) are complex anomalies associated with long-term problems such as fecal incontinence. Clinical scoring systems are commonly used to assess bowel function but lack proper validation. Anorectal manometry is an objective tool for evaluating anorectal function. This study aimed to correlate anorectal manometric parameters and clinical continence scoring systems to enhance the postoperative evaluation of children with ARMs.

Patients and methods:

We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study including 47 children who had undergone definitive surgical repair for ARMs between January 2010 and June 2021. Fecal continence was assessed using the Kelly and Templeton & Ditesheim scoring systems. Conventional anorectal manometry was performed. Correlations between manometric parameters and clinical scores were statistically analyzed.

Results: Resting pressure of the anal canal (RP) and Recto anal inhibitory reflex (RAIR) were significantly associated with better continence scores across both systems (p < 0.01). RP had the highest diagnostic validity (AUC = 0.825 and 0.807 for Templeton and Kelly, respectively). SP showed lower diagnostic accuracy. Other parameters did not show statistically significant associations with clinical outcomes.

Conclusion: The correlation between manometric parameters and the continence scoring system in this study highlighted the role in evaluating patients’ post-surgery for ARMs.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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