Laparoscopic assisted anorectal pull-through for treatment of congenital pouch colon: Two cases in central China

Congenital pouch colon (CPC) is a rare variant of anorectal malformation (ARM) in which a variable length of colon terminates in a colonic pouch that shares a fistulous communication with either the bladder or vagina. While Georgeon’s laparoscopic-assisted anorectal pull-through (LAARP) approach has been widely adopted to treat males with rectourethral prostatic and bladder neck fistulae (high type) of ARMs, it has not been applied to boys with CPC. Herein, we describe a series of two boys in central China managed with LAARP. We found that LAARP for CPC types 3 and 4 is safe, feasible, and effective, as we have had encouraging intermediate term outcomes. Further, we noted the occurrence of CPC outside of the Indian sub-continent to be very unusual, and we present evidence supporting a newly identified CPC ‘hot-spot’ in central China.