Reducing Constipation-Related Admissions: The Effectiveness of Antegrade Continence Enema Procedures in Children

Introduction Constipation in pediatrics remains a common problem. Antegrade continence enema (ACE) procedures have been shown to decrease the distress of daily therapy. Patients are able to administer more aggressive washouts in the outpatient setting. Therefore, we hypothesize that patients following an ACE procedure would have reduced admissions for constipation. Methods Patients who underwent an ACE procedure at a large children’s hospital from 2015 to 2018 were included. Demographics, diagnosis, procedure, and preoperative/postoperative hospital admissions were analyzed. Results Forty-eight patients were included in the study. Over half were diagnosed with idiopathic constipation. Majority of patients underwent an appendicostomy (88%, n = 42). Preoperatively, 26 patients were admitted for a combined total of 63 times for constipation. Postoperatively, 4 patients were admitted for a total of 5 visits (P = .021). Twenty-eight patients required a nonscheduled appendicostomy tube replacement. Conclusion This study demonstrates ACE procedures can improve constipation-related symptoms in children and are associated with decrease hospital admissions.