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Published on: March 5, 2018

Postoperative intussusception in children

Z Türkyilmaz1, K Sönmez, B Demiroğullari

  • 1Department of Paediatric Surgery, Medical Faculty of Gazi University, Turkey. zafertrk@yahoo.com

Acta Chirurgica Belgica
|May 24, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Postoperative intussusception is a rare cause of bowel obstruction in children. Early diagnosis and surgical reduction are key to successful treatment of this uncommon condition.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Surgery
  • Gastrointestinal Surgery

Background:

  • Postoperative intussusception (POI) is an infrequent complication following abdominal surgery in pediatric patients.
  • It presents as a cause of mechanical bowel obstruction, often with subtle and difficult-to-diagnose symptoms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze cases of postoperative intussusception in children.
  • To highlight diagnostic challenges and successful treatment outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of four pediatric cases of postoperative intussusception.
  • Review of clinical presentation, surgical procedures, and treatment outcomes over a 15-year period (1987-2001).

Main Results:

  • Symptoms of POI appeared a median of 2.5 days post-operation.
  • All four cases were successfully treated with operative manual reduction.
  • POI can occur after diverse surgical procedures.

Conclusions:

  • Postoperative intussusception requires a high index of suspicion for timely diagnosis.
  • Prompt surgical intervention, including manual reduction, leads to successful outcomes in pediatric POI.

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