HSCR Medical Abbreviation

Hirschsprung Disease

A congenital abnormality of the bowel in which there is absence of the ganglia in the wall of the bowel. Nerves are missing starting at the anus and extending a variable distance up the bowel. This results in megacolon above the point where the nerves are missing. Hirschsprung disease is an important condition. It is the commonest cause of lower intestinal blockage in the newborn period and later in infancy and childhood, Hirschsprung disease is a cause of chronic constipation.