Importance of determination of serum cholinesterase level in the diagnostics of intestinal motility disorders in children

Abstract

Background: chronic colostases are characterized by the absence of independent bowel movements due to disturbance of intestinal contractility and evacuatory function of the large intestine which have a negative influence on the development of an organism. Aim: To evaluate a possibility of predictive diagnostics of motility disorders of the large intestine in children with chronic constipation due to organic causes. Material and methods: The study is based on the determination of serum cholinesterase level in 67 patients of both sexes (main group) which included 25 children suffering from pathology of aganglionic genesis and 42 patients with non-aganglionic congenital anomalies of the large intestine. The average age of the patients was 11.5 ± 0.8 years. The control group included children without any pathologies of gastrointestinal tract and central nervous system. The quantitative determination of cholinesterase level was performed by the photometric method described by Molander and Friedman. Results: The group of children suffering from large intestine anomalies of non-aganglionic origin showed an increase in serum cholinesterase level by 1,08 times. The group of children with anomalies of aganglionic origin showed an increase in cholinesterase level by 1,15 times. Conclusions: The increase in cholinesterase level in patients suffering from colostases of non-aganglionic origin can be regarded as a prognostic indicator having the signs of a factor of organic origin. The increase in cholinesterase level in patients suffering from disorders of aganglionic origin shows the presence of neurobiological changes which cannot be solved simply by surgical correction of a congenital anomaly of the intestine.