Laparoscopic-assisted transanal pull-through (LATP) versus complete transanal pull-through (CTP) in the surgical management of Hirschsprung's disease

BackgroundIt is unclear whether laparoscopic-assisted transanal pull-through (LATP) or complete transanal pull-through (CTP) is superior for the surgical management of Hirschsprung's disease. We compared outcomes between approaches.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed patients with Hirschsprung's disease who underwent LATP or CTP at our centre between 1995 and 2014. Patients were matched based on age, birth weight, and level of aganglionosis. A systematic literature review and meta-analysis were also performed.ResultsFrom our data, LATP (n = 24) took significantly longer than CTP (n = 12; 3.9 ± 1.1 vs. 2.6 ± 0.6 h, p = 0.001). There was no difference in length of stay or incidence of postoperative complications. A literature search identified 17 published studies, of which 2 were comparative. Our pooled analysis of comparative studies including our results showed that operative time was significantly longer for the LATP group (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.21-1.96, p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in major complications (OR 1.75, 95% CI 0.76-4.04, p = 0.19) or length of stay (OR 0.33, 95% CI − 0.41 to 1.08, p = 0.38).ConclusionClinical outcomes are comparable between LATP and CTP. CTP offers shorter operative time without the need for laparoscopic instruments.