A report of 27 cases of congenital short colon with an imperforate anus: so-called 'pouch colon syndrome'.

This is a retrospective study of 27 cases of congenital short colon with anorectal malformation (pouch colon syndrome) treated during the last 5 years (from January 1991 to December 1995). The radiological feature of enormously dilated colonic pouch occupying more than half the width of abdomen was diagnostic in almost all cases. Excision of pouch and end enterostomy was associated with maximum survival (92.3%) in good risk patients. Proximal diverting enterostomy with decompression and irrigation of pouch is a preferable alternative to pouch colostomy in poor risk patients. Tapering coloplasty and colostomy should be reserved only for types I and II cases of pouch colon.