Adult Intussusception at a Tertiary Care Center: A Retrospective Study

In adults, the majority of cases of intussusception are due to malignancy.

The aim of the study is to describe the pattern of intussusception in the adult population diagnosed and treated at a tertiary care center.

Study Design: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study based on chart review, and data collection was made from the computer database and inpatient case records. Study Setting: Adult intussusception cases diagnosed and treated at a tertiary care referral center in South India. All inpatient case sheets including investigations and histopathology information on the computer database of all patients diagnosed with intussusception in the period of August 2012 to July 2016 were retracted based on a pretested and standardized form. Demographic data and other baseline data were summarized with descriptive statistics. SPSS software was used for data analysis.

Of the 77 patients, 47 (61%) were male. The common presentations were abdominal pain (95%), vomiting (64%), and rectal bleeding (29%). Common examination findings were abdominal tenderness (45%), guarding (39%), and abdominal mass (38%). On ultrasonography, fifty (65%) patients had intussusception with ileocolic (25) as the most common type. Computed tomography abdomen was taken for 28 (36%) patients, in which 23 (82%) had intussusception with ileocolic (9) as the most common type. Surgery was done for 53 (69%) patients, and the most common procedure was right hemicolectomy (25) followed by resection and anastomosis of the small bowel (23). Intraoperatively, 42 (79%) patients had intussusception with ileocolic (23) as the most common type. Intraoperatively, 14 (26%) patients had a bowel gangrene. Biopsy-proven cause for intussusception was present in 46 patients, with malignancy (21) as the most common cause. The patients were on regular follow-up. Recurrence of intussusception occurred in six patients of the small bowel intussusception who had polyposis.

Adult intussusception is often associated with malignancy. Hence, a formal resection without reduction is needed and surgery should be done following oncological principles.