Intussusception in a child caused by capillary hemangioma of the colon

Intussusception is one of the most common abdominal emergencies in children, but identifying the cause is very difficult. Hemangioma is a common tumor of the head and neck area in children, but it rarely arises in the gastrointestinal tract. This report describes a rare occurrence of intussusception caused by capillary hemangioma of the colon that was identified by ultrasonography (US), computed tomography (CT), and colonoscopy. A male child aged 2 years and 10 months developed painful abdominal cramps and hematochezia. Abdominal US and CT revealed both target and pseudo-kidney signs in the colon, indicating colonic intussusception. An initial diagnostic and therapeutic laparotomy did not reveal any abnormalities. Seven days later, severe abdominal pain recurred. A barium enema revealed the shadow of a 25-mm mass at the hepatic flexure of the colon. Colonoscopic findings revealed a submucosal tumor in the descending colon that was moved to the cecum by compressed air introduced through the colonoscope. We considered that the mass in the cecum had caused the intussusception. The tumor was removed at a second laparotomy, and microscopic pathological examination revealed that it was a capillary hemangioma.