Manometric diagnosis of Hirschsprung's disease in the neonatal period.

A newly designed semiconductor manometer was assembled for anorectal manometry in the neonatal period. Sixty apparently healthy neonates and 17 patients who presented gastrointestinal obstructive symptoms were examined by the eighth day of life. All 60 apparently healthy neonates showed a normal fluctuating wave and rectoanal reflex. Prematurity and postnatal age do not influence the normal rectoanal reflex. Among 17 patients, 5 were diagnosed as having Hirschsprung's disease based on absence of the reflex. There were no false negative or false positive results among these cases. It appears that anorectal manometry could be a reliable diagnostic test of Hirschsprung's disease even in the neonatal period.