Intussusception: is floating caecum a causative factor? Analysis of 10 cases

Ten consecutive cases of intussusceptions treated by the authors at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) in a five year period are analysed. The median age of occurrence was nine months; average 5.2 years; range: one month to 25 years. The male to female ratio was 2:3. Five patients had ileocaecal, two ileoileal, two colocolic and one ileocolic intussusceptions. Of the two patients with ileoileal intussusceptions one had antegrade with Meckel's diverticulum and the other retrograde with lipoma as lead-points. The two patients with colocolic intussusceptions had mesenteric and mesocolic lymph nodes hypertrophy. The remaining six patients had freely mobile caecum anchored to the posterior peritoneum by a long mesocaecum and such arrangement was believed to be the cause of the intussusceptions. In addition to intraoperative reduction in five cases and resection with end to end ileoileal anastomosis in one, each of these six patients had the caecum fixed to the posterior abdominal wall to prevent recurrence of the intussusception.