Acute presentation of short‑segment Hirschsprung's disease treated with Soave's procedure in a 20‑year‑old male: A case report and mini‑review of the literature.

Hirschsprung's disease is a congenital disorder that affects the motility of the colon. It is caused by the absence of ganglion cells in the large intestinal plexuses. Although uncommon, Hirschsprung's disease can be diagnosed until adulthood. In such cases, this is often due to a history of episodes of chronic constipation since childhood, with the majority of these being misdiagnosed and inadequately treated. The present study describes the case of a 20-year-old male patient, with a history of chronic constipation since childhood managed conservatively. Following acute intestinal obstruction, he required an emergency laparotomy with intestinal resection and colostomy. The histopathological analysis revealed aganglionosis in the sigmoid colon, confirming Hirschsprung's disease. Definitive treatment was subsequently decided with Soave-type surgery, with excellent results obtained in subsequent follow-up sessions. In addition, the present study also provides a mini-review of the literature; several similar reports were identified upon searchingw the literature using the PubMed database. Overall, the present study demonstrates that adults with chronic constipation refractory to treatment should be considered susceptible to the diagnosis of this disease.