Dallas
214-456-8000
Fax: 214-456-8005
Plano
469-497-2505
F: 469-497-2511
Park Cities
469-488-7000
Fax: 469-488-7001
Prosper
469-303-5000
Fax: 214-867-9511
If your child's digestive system doesn’t work properly because of pediatric megacystic microcolon intestinal hypoperistalsis (MMIHS), specialists at Children's Health℠ provide the diligent, long-term care they need. Housed in a nationally ranked center for Pediatric Intestinal Rehabilitation, Pediatric Gastroenterology and Pediatric Neurogastroenterology and Motility, our team includes a wide range of specialists including gastroenterologists, pediatric surgeons, dieticians and psychologists. Together, we can help manage your child’s symptoms and health so they can live active lives.
214-456-8000
Fax: 214-456-8005
469-497-2505
F: 469-497-2511
469-488-7000
Fax: 469-488-7001
469-303-5000
Fax: 214-867-9511
MMIHS is a serious condition and can be life-threatening. However, with ongoing medical care and monitoring, our specialists can help your child achieve a typical, active life.
Children with MMIHS have a smaller than normal colon and an enlarged bladder. MMIHS is a rare disorder where the muscles that line your child’s bladder and intestines do not move properly. In some cases, they do not move at all.
This can affect your child’s digestive system and their ability to receive nutrition by eating and drinking. It can also affect your child’s ability to urinate, causing health issues such as:
As a result, the impact MMIHS has on daily life may be different. Symptoms can include:
MMIHS can sometimes be determined using ultrasound before your baby is born, but it is most often diagnosed shortly after birth.
The team of experts at Children’s Health starts by carefully examining your child and reviewing their medical history and symptoms. Then, lab work and a colon biopsy can help confirm if they have MMIHS.
We may also use additional tests to confirm an MMIHS diagnosis or rule out other possible causes of your child’s symptoms. Exams may include:
A change in the gene that helps the stomach, intestines and bladder move food and urine through the body causes MMIHS. Most of the time, children inherit MMIHS from one of their parents. However, in rarer cases, MMIHS develops with no previous family history (de novo mutation).
Our specialists provide ongoing treatment that centers on your child’s bladder, kidney and digestive functions. Unfortunately, there is currently no cure for MMIHS, so long-term management is the best way to help your child be active and healthy. We use several different treatments to help children with MMIHS get the nutrients they need to live well, including:
Children’s Health’s Pediatric Intestinal Rehabilitation specialists help manage your child’s long-term medical needs so they can enjoy the best quality of life possible. With the help of gastroenterologists, surgeons, nursing, wound/ostomy, dietitians, speech therapists, neonatologists and social workers, we create and manage treatment plans that work for you, your child, and your family.
Although your child will face challenges, it is possible to live an active, normal life with MMIHS. With the education, support and advanced technology available today, our team will connect you with many opportunities and resources to help improve your child and your family’s quality of life.
MMIHS is a congenital disease, which means a child is born with it. It is a genetic disorder caused by a change (mutation) in one or more genes that control the muscles in your child’s intestines and bladder.