Affiliations: Department of Pediatrics, Army Hospital (R&P), Delhi,
India | Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Indira Gandhi
Medical College, Shimla, India
Note: [] Correspondence: Lokesh Chauhan, Department of Pediatrics, Army
Hospital (Research and Referral), Delhi Cantt, New Delhi 110010, India. Tel.:
+91 9711163770, +91 9817063393; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: Comparison of internal anal sphincter pressures in spastic cerebral
palsy (CP) children with constipation and without constipation. Our study
included 65 spastic CP children between 1–14 yr of age. Children having
multiple congenital anomalies and with other causes of constipation were
excluded. Basal anorectal pressures at the internal anal sphincter at rest were
recorded. Majority (67.7%) of cases were in the age group of 1–5 yr. Majority
(50.7%) were spastic quadriplegic. Perinatal risk factors accounted for 86.2%
of the cases, birth asphyxia being the commonest (67.9%). Seizures were
significantly high (P=0.019) in children with constipation. The mean of
maximum, (P < 0.002), mean of minimum (P < 0.005) and the mean of mean
anorectal pressures (P < 0.002) were significantly high in spastic children
with constipation. Increased anorectal pressures may be an important cause of
constipation in children with spastic CP and anorectal manometry should be
carried out in these children to rule out increased pressures at the anorectal level.
