ABSTRACT
The majority of children with functional constipation respond to conventional treatment with laxatives and behavioral modification. However, children with severe functional constipation refractory to conventional treatment often require specialized care from gastroenterologists and surgeons working in collaboration. Anorectal and colonic manometry testing can provide the medical team a better understanding of the physiological mechanisms contributing to a child's defecation problem and can be used to guide subsequent medical or surgical treatment. Anorectal manometry measures the neuromuscular function of the anus and rectum using a catheter placed through the anal canal into the rectum, and can be used to evaluate for the presence of Hirschsprung's disease, internal anal sphincter achalasia, and pelvic floor dyssynergia. Colonic manometry measures the neuromuscular function of the colon using a catheter placed in the lumen of the colon, and can be used to evaluate for the presence of colonic motor dysfunction, including colonic inertia and segmental colonic dysmotility.
