Clinical-Radiological Discordance in the Detection of Chronic Constipation in Children Newly Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Retrospective Study.
- 1Dr Hamza Alsayouf Clinic, Amman 11181, Jordan.
- 2Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, The Hashemite University, Zarqa 13133, Jordan.
- 3Royal Medical Services, Amman 11181, Jordan.
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Chronic constipation in patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be undetected during routine care and can exacerbate ASD symptoms such as irritability and hyperactivity. This retrospective study evaluated the prevalence of radiographic findings suggestive of chronic constipation in children newly diagnosed with ASD, and it compared these findings with those based on routine clinical history and examination alone. Methods: A retrospective chart review of pediatric patients diagnosed with ASD at neurology clinics in Jordan between 2022 and 2025 was conducted. Informed consent was required for an abdominal radiographic examination at screening to initiate the standard treatment protocol at participating clinics. A more stringent version of the Leech criteria, equivalent to a total Leech score of ≥10, was applied to the radiographic images to identify patients with findings suggestive of chronic constipation. Data were extracted via retrospective chart review using a standardized data collection form. Results: Among the 455 patients who met the study eligibility criteria, the mean ± SD age was 6.7 ± 3.3 years (median, 6 years; range, 2-18 years) and 80.2% were male. Most patients had radiographic findings suggestive of chronic constipation at baseline (81.5%, n = 371/455), whereas 5.3% (24/455) had findings suggestive of constipation based on their medical history and clinical examination alone. Conclusions: Radiographic findings suggestive of chronic constipation were common in children newly diagnosed with ASD and were identified substantially more frequently than constipation identified through routine history-taking and clinical examination in the same patients. Prospective studies are warranted to determine whether the use of alternative, standardized methods as adjunct diagnostic tools can improve clinical outcomes in this population.
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BibTeX
@article{alsayouf2026clinicalradiological,
title = {{Clinical-Radiological Discordance in the Detection of Chronic Constipation in Children Newly Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Retrospective Study.}},
author = {Hamza A Alsayouf and Redab Al-Ghawanmeh and Luay S Alhawawsha and Osama Alsarhan and Hala Abdulsalam Hamada},
journal = {Reports (MDPI)},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/reports9040360},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42924812},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Clinical-Radiological Discordance in the Detection of Chronic Constipation in Children Newly Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Retrospective Study.
AU - Hamza A Alsayouf
AU - Redab Al-Ghawanmeh
AU - Luay S Alhawawsha
AU - Osama Alsarhan
AU - Hala Abdulsalam Hamada
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/17
JO - Reports (MDPI)
DO - 10.3390/reports9040360
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42924812
AB - Background/Objectives: Chronic constipation in patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be undetected during routine care and can exacerbate ASD symptoms such as irritability and hyperactivity. This retrospective study evaluated the prevalence of radiographic findings suggestive of chronic constipation in children newly diagnosed with ASD, and it compared these findings with those based on routine clinical history and examination alone. Methods: A retrospective chart review of pediatric patients diagnosed with ASD at neurology clinics in Jordan between 2022 and 2025 was conducted. Informed consent was required for an abdominal radiographic examination at screening to initiate the standard treatment protocol at participating clinics. A more stringent version of the Leech criteria, equivalent to a total Leech score of ≥10, was applied to the radiographic images to identify patients with findings suggestive of chronic constipation. Data were extracted via retrospective chart review using a standardized data collection form. Results: Among the 455 patients who met the study eligibility criteria, the mean ± SD age was 6.7 ± 3.3 years (median, 6 years; range, 2-18 years) and 80.2% were male. Most patients had radiographic findings suggestive of chronic constipation at baseline (81.5%, n = 371/455), whereas 5.3% (24/455) had findings suggestive of constipation based on their medical history and clinical examination alone. Conclusions: Radiographic findings suggestive of chronic constipation were common in children newly diagnosed with ASD and were identified substantially more frequently than constipation identified through routine history-taking and clinical examination in the same patients. Prospective studies are warranted to determine whether the use of alternative, standardized methods as adjunct diagnostic tools can improve clinical outcomes in this population.
SN - 2571-841X
ER -