Urinary Incontinence Secondary to Fecal Impaction in a Patient With Likely Undiagnosed Hirschsprung's Disease

Cureus. 2021 Aug 2;13(8):e16837. doi: 10.7759/cureus.16837. eCollection 2021 Aug.

Abstract

Hirschsprung's disease is caused by the failure of migration of neural crest cells to the hindgut, causing a lack of development of ganglion cells in the submucosal and myenteric plexuses of the colonic wall. Hirschsprung's disease most often presents in infants with failure to pass meconium in the first two days of life. We present the case of an eight-year-old male with chronic constipation since birth who presented to the emergency department with signs concerning spinal cord compression. To our knowledge, this is the first of such a case presenting with urinary incontinence.

Keywords: constipation; hirschsprung's disease; meconium; spinal cord compression; urinary incontinence.

Publication types

  • Case Reports