Analysis of the RET, GDNF, EDN3, and EDNRB genes in patients with intestinal neuronal dysplasia and Hirschsprung disease

BACKGROUNDHirschsprung disease (HSCR) is a frequent congenital disorder with an incidence of 1 in 5000 live births, characterised by the absence of parasympathetic intramural ganglion cells in the hindgut resulting in intestinal obstruction in neonates and severe constipation in infants and adults. Intestinal neuronal dysplasia (IND) shares clinical features with HSCR but the submucosal parasympathetic plexus is affected. IND has been proposed as one of the most frequent causes of chronic constipation and is often associated with HSCR.METHODSWe examined 29 patients diagnosed with sporadic HSCR, 20 patients with IND, and 12 patients with mixed HSCR/IND for mutations in the coding regions of …