Intussusception - Symptoms & Treatment

Intussusception is the sleding of one part of the intestine into another. When this happens, it creates an impediment in the bowel, with the walls of the intestines pressing against one another. This, in turn, results to swelling, inflammation, and decreased blood flow to the intestines embroiled. Intussusception is the most common cause of intestinal traverse among children. Intussusception is rare in adults. Most cases of adult intussusception are the result of an latent medical condition. In counterpoint, most cases in children have no known cause. Intussusception is an uncommon cause of abdominal pain which basically affects children between the ages of 6 months and 2 years. It can sporadically affect older children. In most cases, the cause is obscure. Rarely, thickening of the intestinal wall because of a diverticulum, polyp, or tumor may result to intussusception.

Intussusception is a form of bowel obstruction in which one section of intestine telescopes inside of another. Though it can occur anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract, it usually occurs at the junction of the small and large intestine. The most frequent type of intussusception is one in which the ileum penetrates the cecum, nonetheless other types are known to occur, such as when a part of the ileum or jejunum prolapses into itself. The first sign of intussusception is usually unexpected, loud, and pained crying caused by abdominal pain. If your child gets a tummy ache, which doesn't mean she has an intussusception. The logic for this is that peristaltic action of the intestine "pulls" the proximal segment into the distal segment.

Symptoms of Intussusception

Some common Intussusception :

• Nausea and vomiting
• Fever.
• Swollen (distended) abdomen.
• Lethargy.
• Diarrhea.
• Dehydration.

Treatment of Intussusception

• In a surgical reduction, the abdomen is opened and the part which has telescoped in is pulled out manually by the surgeon or if the surgeon is incompetent to successfully reduce it or the bowel is damaged, the affected section will be resected.
• If manual reduction is not possible or stabbation is present, perform a segmental resection with an end-to-end anastomosis. A sedulous search for any lead points is warranted, especially if the patient is older than 2-3 years.
• In few cases, the bowel obstruction can be treated with a barium enema performed by a professional radiologist.
• Usually the bowel tissue can be saved, but if not, any dead tissue will be removed.