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Hirschsprung Disease Center - El Paso, TX

El Paso Pediatric Surgeon Doctors for Hirschsprung Disease

Type of Physician: Pediatric Surgeon

What is a Pediatric Surgeon?

A subspecialty certification by the Board of Surgery; practitioners are skilled in the management of surgical conditions in premature and newborn infants, children, and adolescents.

Specialty: Pediatric Surgery

Common Name: Children's Surgeon

Pediatric Surgeon Doctors in El Paso *

William W Spurbeck MD
William W Spurbeck
125 W Hague St
Providence Plaza Bldg STE 170
El Paso, TX 79902
(915) 546-2656

El Paso, Texas

El Paso is home to the University of Texas at El Paso (founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy, and later, Texas Western College; its present name dates from 1967) and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso. Fort Bliss, one of the largest military complexes of the United States Army, lies to the east and northeast of the city, with training areas extending north into New Mexico, up to the White Sands Missile Range and neighboring Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo. The Franklin Mountains extend into El Paso from the north and nearly divide the city into two sections, the western half forming the beginnings of the Mesilla Valley and with the eastern slopes connecting in the central business district at the south end of the mountain range.
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Paso)

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Hirschsprung's Disease

What is Hirschsprung's disease?

Hirschsprung's (HURSH-sprungz) disease, or HD, is a disease of the large intestine.

The large intestine is also sometimes called the colon. The word bowel can refer to the large and small intestines. Hirschsprung's disease usually occurs in children. It causes constipation, which means that bowel movements are difficult. Some children with Hirschsprung's disease can't have bowel movements at all. The stool creates a blockage in the intestine.

If Hirschsprung's disease is not treated, stool can fill up the large intestine. This can cause serious problems like infection, bursting of the colon, and even death.

Most parents feel frightened when they learn that their child has a serious disease. This information will help you understand Hirschsprung's disease and how you and the doctor can help your child.

Why does Hirschsprung's disease cause constipation?

Normally, muscles in the intestine push stool to the anus, where stool leaves the body. Special nerve cells in the intestine, called ganglion cells, make the muscles push. A person with Hirschsprung's disease does not have these nerve cells in the last part of the large intestine.

Healthy large intestine: Nerve cells are found throughout the intestine.

Hirschsprung's disease large intestine: Nerve cells are missing from the last part of the intestine.

In a person with Hirschsprung's disease, the healthy muscles of the intestine push the stool until it reaches the part without the nerve cells. At this point, the stool stops moving. New stool then begins to stack up behind it.

Sometimes the ganglion cells are missing from the whole large intestine and even parts of the small intestine before it. When the diseased section reaches to or includes the small intestine, it is called long-segment disease. When the di...

Recommended Reading Related to Hirschsprung's Disease

Intestinal Gas »

What causes belching?

The ability to belch is almost universal. Belching, also known as burping (medically referred to as eructation), is the act of expelling gas from the stomach out through the mouth. The usual cause of belching is a distended (inflated) stomach caused by swallowed air. The distention of the stomach causes abdominal discomfort, and the belching expels the air and relieves the discomfort. The common reasons for swallowing large amounts of air (aerophagia) are gulping food or drink too rapidly, anxiety, and carbonated beverages. People are often unaware that they are swallowing air. "Burping" infants during bottle or breastfeeding is important in order to expel air in the stomach that has been swallowed with the formula or milk.

Excessive air in the stomach is not the only cause of belching. For some people, belching becomes a habit and does not reflect the amount of air in their stomachs. For others, belching is a response to an...

Emergency Contact for El Paso

  • In case of Emergency, call 911
  • Police Dept 915-832-4400
  • Fire Department (915) 771-1000

Nearby El Paso Hospitals *

Las Palmas Medical Center
1801 N Oregon St
El Paso, TX 79902
(915)521-1200

Providence Memorial Hospital
2001 N Oregon St
El Paso, TX 79902
(915)577-6011

Mesa Hills Specialty Hospital
2311 N Oregon St
El Paso, TX 79902
(915)545-1823

Sierra Medical Center
1625 Medical Center Dr
El Paso, TX 79902
(915)747-4000

El Paso Specialty Hospital
1755 Curie Dr
El Paso, TX 79902
(915)544-3636

Sierra Providence Physical Rehabilitation Hospital
1740 Curie Dr
El Paso, TX 79902
(915)577-8500

Las Palmas Rehabilitation Hospital
300 Waymore Dr
El Paso, TX 79902
(915)577-2600

University Medical Center of El Paso
4815 Alameda Ave
El Paso, TX 79905
(915)544-1200

El Paso VA Healthcare System
5001 N Piedras St
El Paso, TX 79930
(915)564-6100

Del Sol Medical Center
10301 Gateway Blvd W
El Paso, TX 79925
(915)595-9000

Peak Psychiatric Hospital
5065 McNutt Rd
Santa Teresa, NM 88008
(505)589-3000

Physicians Hospital
1416 George Dieter Dr
El Paso, TX 79936
(915)598-4240

Sierra Providence East Medical Center
3280 Joe Battle Blvd
El Paso, TX 79938
(915)832-2692

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