Profile of Children Treated for Uncomplicated Intussusception in a Tertiary Hospital in Enugu, Nigeria

Abstract

Intussusception is the invagination of a segment of the bowel into another segment. The part of the bowel that invaginates is the intussusceptum while the part that receives the invaginating segment is the intussuscipiens [1]. Intussusception is a pediatric abdominal surgical emergency and one of the most common causes of intestinal obstruction in infants [2]. The clinical presentation of intussusception may vary from one patient to another. However, classically, the symptoms of intussusception include abdominal pain, vomiting and passage of red currant jelly stool [3]. However, these classical symptoms are found only in about 20 percent of the patients [4]. Abdominal ultrasound is diagnostic imaging of choice for the diagnosis of intussusception due to its high sensitivity and specificity [5]. Treatment of intussusception in children could be nonoperative or operative. Non-operative treatment is in the form hydrostatic (using normal saline, Hartmann’s solution or barium) or pneumatic reduction (using air) [6]. Operative treatment of intussusception is indicated in the following conditions: failed hydrostatic reduction, features of peritonitis or marked abdominal distension [6].Children with intussusception who present early are treated non-operatively with little or no complications. However, only a few patients present early most likely due to poverty and low levels of enlightenment. The aim of study was to evaluate our experience in the management of children who presented with uncomplicated intussusception. For the purposes of this study, uncomplicated intussusception refers to intussusception without intestinal gangrene, without perforation and without features of peritonitis. Abstract