What staining technique is used in the diagnosis of Hirschsprung's disease?

Hirschsprung's disease, also known as congenital aganglionic megacolon, is characterized by the absence of ganglion cells in the distal bowel, which leads to severe constipation and bowel obstruction due to a lack of peristalsis. The diagnosis of this condition often involves a biopsy of the rectal mucosa.

The acetylcholinesterase (AchE) stain is specifically utilized to highlight the presence of nerve endings and their alterations in the bowel wall. In Hirschsprung's disease, the absence of ganglion cells results in an accumulation of abnormal nerve endings, which can be effectively visualized using this staining technique. When the biopsy is stained with AchE, the abnormal proliferation of acetylcholinesterase-positive nerve fibers in the absence of ganglion cells provides a definitive diagnosis of the disease.

Other staining techniques, while useful in various contexts, do not provide the specific confirmation needed for Hirschsprung's disease. For example, the periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) stain is often used for identifying polysaccharides in tissues, methyl blue stains are used for general cell and tissue visualization, and hematoxylin and eosin staining is a routine technique for examining tissue morphology but does not provide the specific detail needed