Title: Features of defecation dysfunction among patients with Hirschsprung disease in early
childhood
Version: 1 Date: 27 Aug 2024
Reviewer's report:
Review of the manuscript ” Features of defecation dysfunction among patients with
Hirschsprung disease in early childhood”. This is a cross-sectional study of the bowel function
after surgery for Hirschsprung’s disease assessed with Bowel Function Score in 204 children
with Hirschsprung’s disease compared to 156 healthy children at a single center. The study
shows, as expected that children with Hirschsprung’s disease have worse bowel function
outcome compared to healthy children. This is an impressive cohort and it is very much
appreciative that the authors chose a validated questionnaire for assessing bowel function. With
regards to this, there are some comments and questions to the authors.
1. How was the patients and healthy controls recruited? The authors must explain how these
individuals were selected and the response rate among the healthy controls. This is of importance
for the reader to evaluate the quality of the study.
2. Is the Bowel Function Score translated and validated in Mandarin? Could the authors explain
if the questionnaire already has been translated?
3. Usually the affected parts in patients with Hirschsprung’s disease in divided into recto-
sigmoid, long segment and total colonic aganglionosis, why did the authors show their
categories?
4. Since the result is presented in Table 1-4, the results can be shortened with the data already
presented in the different Tables.
5. For the results, I miss a Table 1 showing the baseline data as age, sex, level of aganglionosis,
etc. This Table is of importance to be able to interpret the results even though the authors have
stated that there was no difference been the groups.
6. How were these individuals operated on? Terp and lap terp? Even AIHD?
7. I think that the authors should highlight the social problems more, since these are important
issues that can affect the individual a lot.
Title: Features of defecation dysfunction among patients with Hirschsprung disease in early
childhood
Version: 1 Date: 27 Aug 2024
Reviewer's report:
Review of the manuscript ” Features of defecation dysfunction among patients with
Hirschsprung disease in early childhood”. This is a cross-sectional study of the bowel function
after surgery for Hirschsprung’s disease assessed with Bowel Function Score in 204 children
with Hirschsprung’s disease compared to 156 healthy children at a single center. The study
shows, as expected that children with Hirschsprung’s disease have worse bowel function
outcome compared to healthy children. This is an impressive cohort and it is very much
appreciative that the authors chose a validated questionnaire for assessing bowel function. With
regards to this, there are some comments and questions to the authors.
1. How was the patients and healthy controls recruited? The authors must explain how these
individuals were selected and the response rate among the healthy controls. This is of importance
for the reader to evaluate the quality of the study.
2. Is the Bowel Function Score translated and validated in Mandarin? Could the authors explain
if the questionnaire already has been translated?
3. Usually the affected parts in patients with Hirschsprung’s disease in divided into recto-
sigmoid, long segment and total colonic aganglionosis, why did the authors show their
categories?
4. Since the result is presented in Table 1-4, the results can be shortened with the data already
presented in the different Tables.
5. For the results, I miss a Table 1 showing the baseline data as age, sex, level of aganglionosis,
etc. This Table is of importance to be able to interpret the results even though the authors have
stated that there was no difference been the groups.
6. How were these individuals operated on? Terp and lap terp? Even AIHD?
7. I think that the authors should highlight the social problems more, since these are important
issues that can affect the individual a lot.
Please review this paper.
user
Title: Features of defecation dysfunction among patients with Hirschsprung disease in early
childhood
Version: 1 Date: 27 Aug 2024
Reviewer's report:
Review of the manuscript ” Features of defecation dysfunction among patients with
Hirschsprung disease in early childhood”. This is a cross-sectional study of the bowel function
after surgery for Hirschsprung’s disease assessed with Bowel Function Score in 204 children
with Hirschsprung’s disease compared to 156 healthy children at a single center. The study
shows, as expected that children with Hirschsprung’s disease have worse bowel function
outcome compared to healthy children. This is an impressive cohort and it is very much
appreciative that the authors chose a validated questionnaire for assessing bowel function. With
regards to this, there are some comments and questions to the authors.
1. How was the patients and healthy controls recruited? The authors must explain how these
individuals were selected and the response rate among the healthy controls. This is of importance
for the reader to evaluate the quality of the study.
2. Is the Bowel Function Score translated and validated in Mandarin? Could the authors explain
if the questionnaire already has been translated?
3. Usually the affected parts in patients with Hirschsprung’s disease in divided into recto-
sigmoid, long segment and total colonic aganglionosis, why did the authors show their
categories?
4. Since the result is presented in Table 1-4, the results can be shortened with the data already
presented in the different Tables.
5. For the results, I miss a Table 1 showing the baseline data as age, sex, level of aganglionosis,
etc. This Table is of importance to be able to interpret the results even though the authors have
stated that there was no difference been the groups.
6. How were these individuals operated on? Terp and lap terp? Even AIHD?
7. I think that the authors should highlight the social problems more, since these are important
issues that can affect the individual a lot.
assistant