Diagnosis of Hirschsprung’s Disease by Anorectal Manometry

Anorectal manometry was performed in 48 Japanese children with Hirschsprung’s disease and 61 normal children. The resting pressure of the rectum and anal canal was not significantly different between these groups of subjects. The frequency of rhythmical contractions of the anal canal of patients was significantly lower than for the normal subjects, but the frequencies overlapped considerably. Therefore, the frequency is an inadequate indicator for identifying these patients.