Intestinal neuronal dysplasia.

Intestinal neuronal dysplasia (IND) is a clinical condition that resembles Hirschsprung's disease. In the past many years investigators have raised doubts about the existence of IND as a distinct histopathologic entity. One strong piece of evidence that IND is a real entity stems from animal models. Recently, two different HOX11L1 knockout mouse models and a heterozygous endothelin B receptor-deficient rat demonstrated abnormalities of the submucous plexus similar to that observed in human IND. This review describes in detail the diagnostic criteria of IND, staining techniques, correlation between histological findings and clinical symptoms, and management of IND.