Colorectal Anomaly Surgery

Some colorectal anomalies cause frequent stooling (pooping) accidents. Others bring severe constipation that makes pooping difficult, if not impossible. These anomalies can affect your child’s happiness and daily life. But brighter days are ahead when you come to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

Trusted experts deliver advanced surgical therapies that optimize bowel function. After surgery, most children poop regularly and avoid accidents. Even if previous surgeries were not successful, our team can improve your child’s quality of life.

Colorectal Anomaly Surgery: Why Choose Us

Children’s Hospital is home to pediatric surgeons, gastroenterologists, urologists and pediatricians specializing in colorectal anomalies. We regularly treat complex conditions, such as imperforate anus and Hirschsprung’s disease. Surgeons deliver exceptional care that takes the stress and anxiety out of going to the bathroom. Meet our team.

Highlights of our program include:

• Care through all stages of childhood: Our surgeons start treating some patients shortly after birth. We also perform colorectal anomaly surgery in children whose needs change over time. Your child has access to every available option. We offer support services that help your child maintain good long-term results.
• Personalized treatments: Care starts with a thorough evaluation. We consider all possible causes for your child’s symptoms and use a variety of tests to assess them. This information helps us tailor surgeries to your child’s needs. Find out more about colorectal and pelvic anomaly evaluation and diagnosis.
• Coordinated approach: Anomalies affecting bowel and bladder control, like cloaca malformation, require specialized care. That’s precisely what you’ll find at Children’s Hospital. Colorectal anomaly surgeons and urologists operate together so your child receives a complete repair in one procedure.

Life-Changing Treatments for Severe Constipation and Fecal Incontinence

Care at Children’s Hospital significantly improves your child’s daily life even if it doesn’t cure the colorectal anomaly. Surgery helps children become socially continent. That means children wear regular underwear and have better control over when bowel emptying occurs.

After surgery, we teach your child and family how to establish a daily bowel emptying routine. Learn more about personalized bowel regimens.

World-Renowned Colorectal Anomaly Expertise on the West Coast

We already hold ourselves to the highest care standards. Collaborating with Marc Levitt, MD, from Children’s National Hospital is helping us take our care to the next level.

Dr. Levitt is one of the world’s leading authorities on pediatric colorectal anomaly surgery. He has performed more procedures than any other surgeon in this specialty. We discuss complex cases and occasionally operate with Dr. Levitt. Collaborating helps us gain additional knowledge and experience in delivering world-class care.

Surgery for Colorectal Anomalies

Colorectal anomaly surgeons at Children’s Hospital offer a broad range of treatments. Our experience from treating a high volume of patients ensures your child receives the most appropriate option. We use research-based techniques that consistently lead to excellent outcomes.

Your child’s care may include:

Appendicostomy

An appendicostomy, also referred to as Malone or MACE (Malone antegrade continence enema) is a procedure where a surgeon uses the appendix to create a connection to the large intestine from an opening in the belly button.

The opening makes it possible to deliver enemas (a solution that stimulates bowel movements) through the belly button instead of the anus. This technique helps children manage daily bowel regimens without assistance from adults. Between enemas, the appendicostomy looks like a natural belly button.

Diverting colostomy

A diverting colostomy brings the end of the large intestine (colon) to a hole in the abdomen. This procedure creates a path for feces to exit the body when a newborn’s anus is missing or not big enough.

It’s a temporary treatment for children with imperforate anus and cloaca malformation. Babies undergo additional surgery (colostomy takedown) when they are a little older. During the takedown procedure, surgeons move the intestines back to their natural position. They also create a new or wider anus.

Cloaca repair

With cloaca malformation, feces and urine leave the body through a single opening. A repair procedure creates separate openings. It’s a complex surgery requiring expertise from two specialties:

• Colorectal anomaly surgeons perform posterior sagittal anorectoplasty (PSARP). This procedure creates a channel for feces to collect (rectum). It also involves making an opening through which it exits the body (anus).  
• Urologists create a urethra through which urine leaves the body. Repairs in females also include creating a vagina with a sufficient external opening. Learn more about genitourinary malformation treatments.

Posterior sagittal anorectoplasty (PSARP)

This procedure creates a functional anus for children with anorectal malformations. PSARP repairs the anatomy and creates an opening for your child to safely poop.

During PSARP, the surgeon creates an anus in the sphincter muscles, repositions the rectum and connects the rectum to the anus. The procedure varies based on the type of malformation your child has.

Pull-through surgery for Hirschsprung’s disease

With Hirschsprung’s disease, a section of the intestines is missing nerve cells that move feces along the digestive tract. The condition can cause bowel blockages that make it difficult to pass stool.

Pull-through surgery involves:

• Removing the affected tissue.
• Pulling the remaining healthy intestines down to fill the gap.
• Connecting the end of the healthy intestines to the anus.

Children’s Hospital is also a proud member of the Pull-thru Network. This organization provides support to families of children with colorectal and pelvic anomalies. It also brings the nation’s leading experts together to share resources and best practices.

Revision surgery

We regularly care for children for whom colorectal anomaly surgery was not successful. Revision surgery may involve removing scar tissue buildups or adjusting previous repairs. Surgery is also sometimes necessary to address issues that arise as children get older.

Comprehensive Colorectal and Pelvic Anomaly Care for Children

We offer access to multiple pediatric subspecialists in one convenient location in Los Angeles. Find out more about our Colorectal Center.

Contact Us

To schedule an appointment with a colorectal and pelvic anomaly specialist, call 323-361-5711.