Intussusception By The Numbers

Discussion Intussusception occurs when one segment of the gastrointestinal tract telescopes into an adjacent segment. The outer receiving segment of bowel is known as the intussuscipiens and the inner inverting segment is known as the intussusceptum. It occurs most often in children between 2 months to 5 years, with a peak incidence between 4-10 months. Males are more often affected than females by 3:2. It also occurs more often after abdominal operations particularly in the first 2 weeks. It is the second most common acute abdominal emergency in children after appendicitis. In adults ~80% have an underlying cause or lead point such as a polyp, tumor, fibrosis, endometriosis, etc.. The cause is usually idiopathic in children (95%) but it is hypothesized that in children it is caused by a viral induced edema of the Peyer’s patches in the ileum that serves as a lead point, but this hypothesis has not been confirmed. It commonly occurs near the ileocecal valve. A review of intussusception presentations can be found here. Learning Point The numbers are positive for intussusception patients. There is a high rate of spontaneous reduction and even better rates for radiological reduction. Recurrence rates are relatively low and pathological causes are even lower. Intussusception numbers Natural history Spontaneous reduction = 17% or higher Perforation risk = 0-6% with most series being <1% for spontaneous perforation Radiological reduction Successful reduction can be...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news