ABSTRACT
Anorectal malformations have been described for centuries. Previously, most children with these malformations received an operation involving the creation of an orifice on the perineum. With this simple procedure, many children survived, probably because the rectum was located very close to the skin. However, many died, probably because the rectum was located high in the pelvis. In 1835, Amussat reported, for the first time, suturing of the rectal wall to the skin edges, essentially the first anoplasty.
