J Korean Pediatr Soc.
1998 Dec;41(12):1669-1674.
Anogenital Index of Normal Children and Its Clinical Significance in Children with Constipation
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Chosun University, Kwangju, Korea.
Abstract
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PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to find an objective criteria to determine the position of normal anus in Korean children and to evaluate the clinical significance of anterior displacement of anus in children with constipation.
METHODS
Three hundred and thirty-nine normal children and 24 children with idiopathic constipation represented the basis of this study. The position of the normal anus was defined by the anogenital index, which is the distance from the anus to the vagina or scrotum divided by the distance between the vagina or scrotum and coccyx.
RESULTS
The mean anogenital index were 0.54 +/- 0.08 in normal male children, and 0.52 +/- 0.04 in male with constipation (P>0.05). The mean anogenital index were 0.43 +/- 0.08 in normal female children, and 0.42 +/- 0.07 in female with constipation (P>0.05). The anogenital index was very constant by age except for late male childhood. The anogenital index in female was significantly lower than in the male (P<0.001). There was no significant difference of the anogenital index between the normal and constipated groups. In both male and female groups with constipation, the anogenital index did not deviate from the mean, but one female patient had an anogenital index of 0.29. The ratio of the anterior displacement of the anus was 21 out of 339 (6.2%) in the normal group (SD<0.05), and 2 out of 24 (9%) in the constipated group (SD<0.05), and there was no difference (P>0.05).
CONCLUSION
The anogenital index is an objective criteria to define the position of normal anus or anterior displacement of anus. There is no correlation between anterior displacement of the anus and idiopathic constipation.
