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Neuroenteric Staining as a Tool in the Evaluation of Pediatric Motility Disorders

  • Pediatric Gastroenterology (S Orenstein, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

The diagnosis of enteric neuromuscular disorders has come a long way since the first description of an enteric neuropathic disorder by the Danish physician Harald Hirschsprung in 1886. Advances in specialized enteric histopathological staining techniques have made it possible to identify subtle neuropathies and myopathies that cause intestinal motility disorders, from the common and now better understood and relatively easily diagnosed Hirschsprung’s disease to the less common and more severe and not well-characterized chronic idiopathic intestinal pseudoobstruction, which continues to present a diagnostic challenge to the gastroenterologist and histopathologist alike. This article will discuss the common gastrointestinal motility disorders and some of the specialized histological stains, such as the relatively common enzyme stain, acetylcholinesterase, used to diagnose Hirschsprung’s disease; advanced tinctorial stains, such as Masson trichrome, which may aid in diagnosis of enteric myopathies causing pseudoobstruction; and immunohistochemical stains such as C-Kit or PG 9.5, which may aid in the diagnosis of enteric neuropathies causing pseudoobstruction.

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Conflict of Interest

Shamaila H Waseem, Muhammed T Idrees, and Joseph M Croffie declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children, 705 Riley Hospital Drive #4210, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA

    Shamaila H. Waseem & Joseph M. Croffie

  2. Department of Pathology, Indiana University School of Medicine, 350 West 11th Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA

    Muhammed T. Idrees

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  1. Shamaila H. Waseem
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  2. Muhammed T. Idrees
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  3. Joseph M. Croffie
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Correspondence to Joseph M. Croffie.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Pediatric Gastroenterology

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Waseem, S.H., Idrees, M.T. & Croffie, J.M. Neuroenteric Staining as a Tool in the Evaluation of Pediatric Motility Disorders. Curr Gastroenterol Rep 17, 30 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11894-015-0456-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11894-015-0456-y

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