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Published on: March 5, 2018

[Clinical characteristics of intussusception in children: comparison between small bowel and large bowel type]

Hyun Sug Lee1, Ju Young Chung, Ja Wook Koo

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Sanggye Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

The Korean Journal of Gastroenterology = Taehan Sohwagi Hakhoe Chi
|January 26, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Small bowel intussusception in children is uncommon and occurs in older children than ileocolic intussusception. This condition shows a high rate of spontaneous reduction, differing from typical ileocolic intussusception management.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Gastroenterology
  • Abdominal Imaging
  • Surgical Pediatrics

Background:

  • Small bowel intussusception is infrequently diagnosed and reported in pediatric populations.
  • While surgical intervention is standard for adult small bowel intussusception, spontaneous reduction is increasingly observed.
  • This study compares the clinical characteristics and outcomes of pediatric small bowel intussusception with ileocolic intussusception.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the clinical features and outcomes of small bowel intussusception in children.
  • To compare small bowel intussusception with ileocolic intussusception in a pediatric cohort.
  • To investigate the rates of spontaneous versus surgical reduction for pediatric small bowel intussusception.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective review of 95 pediatric intussusception cases (March 2000 - December 2003).
  • Inclusion criteria: diagnosis of intussusception at Sanggye-Paik hospital.
  • Data collected included clinical records and imaging findings; ultrasonography was performed using a SEQUOIA 512 machine.

Main Results:

  • 15 cases of small bowel intussusception and 80 cases of ileocolic intussusception were identified.
  • Children with small bowel intussusception were significantly older (mean age 40 months) than those with ileocolic intussusception (mean age 16 months).
  • Small bowel intussusception demonstrated a high rate of spontaneous reduction (73.3%) compared to ileocolic intussusception (0% spontaneous reduction).

Conclusions:

  • Pediatric small bowel intussusception presents in older children compared to ileocolic intussusception.
  • A substantial proportion of pediatric small bowel intussusception cases achieve spontaneous reduction.
  • Findings suggest a different clinical behavior and management approach may be warranted for small bowel intussusception in children.
Abstract

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