Published online Oct 27, 2016. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v8.i10.670
Peer-review started: April 5, 2016
First decision: July 13, 2016
Revised: July 27, 2016
Accepted: August 17, 2016
Article in press: August 18, 2016
Published online: October 27, 2016
Processing time: 111 Days and 12.9 Hours
Over the last two decades, advances in laparoscopic surgery and minimally invasive techniques have transformed the operative management of neonatal colorectal surgery for conditions such as anorectal malformations (ARMs) and Hirschsprung’s disease. Evolution of surgical care has mainly occurred due to the use of laparoscopy, as opposed to a laparotomy, for intra-abdominal procedures and the development of trans-anal techniques. This review describes these advances and outlines the main minimally invasive techniques currently used for management of ARMs and Hirschsprung’s disease. There does still remain significant variation in the procedures used and this review aims to report the current literature comparing techniques with an emphasis on the short- and long-term clinical outcomes.
Core tip: This review describes the recent evolution of neonatal colorectal surgery. It details the advances and current techniques since the introduction of laparoscopic surgery and minimally invasive approaches to the surgical management of anorectal malformations and Hirschsprung’s disease. This review focuses on the various surgical options available and the benefits of these different techniques, outlining the current literature reporting the short- and long-term outcomes for these procedures.