Functional constipation is a common problem in childhood worldwide and has a great impact on social, physical, and emotional functioning of affected children and their caregivers. It is a clinical diagnosis based on the Rome IV criteria. Non-pharmacological treatment involves education, demystification, lifestyle advice, and toilet training. Pharmacological treatment consists of disimpaction, maintenance treatment, and eventually weaning if possible. Polyethylene glycol is considered as the first choice of laxative for both disimpaction and maintenance treatment. Different osmotic laxatives, stimulant laxatives, lubricants, and enemas are available as alternative pharmacological treatment options. Novel drugs are emerging but evidence to support the widespread application of these drugs in the pediatric population is often lacking and more high-quality research is needed in this field. If children remain symptomatic despite optimal pharmacological treatment, botulinum toxin injections in the anal sphincter can be considered as an alternative, more invasive treatment option. This review provides an update on currently available literature concerning the pharmacologic treatment of functional constipation in children.

功能性便秘是全世界儿童期的常见问题，对受影响儿童及其照顾者的社交、身体和情感功能有很大影响。它是基于罗马 IV 标准的临床诊断。非药物治疗包括教育、揭秘、生活方式建议和如厕训练。药物治疗包括解除嵌塞、维持治疗和最终脱机（如果可能）。聚乙二醇被认为是解除嵌塞和维持治疗的首选泻药。不同的渗透性泻药、刺激性泻药、润滑剂和灌肠剂可作为替代药物治疗选择。新药层出不穷，但通常缺乏支持这些药物在儿科人群中广泛应用的证据，需要在该领域进行更多高质量的研究。如果尽管进行了最佳的药物治疗，儿童仍然有症状，则可以考虑在肛门括约肌中注射肉毒杆菌毒素作为一种替代的、更具侵入性的治疗选择。本综述提供了有关儿童功能性便秘药物治疗的现有文献的更新。