A rare case report of a neonatal idiopathic intussusception in a full-term newborn

In contrast with the usual idiopathic intussusception appearing in infants, neonatal intussusception in full-term newborns is a rare entity and usually due to an organic lead point lesion. It has a misleading and variable presentation. This manuscript reports a very rare case of neonatal idiopathic intussusception in a full-term male newborn in order to highlight the difficulties in establishing an early diagnosis.

We present a full-term male newborn who was referred to our department at day 7 of life with fecaloid vomiting, distended abdomen and absence of intestinal transit. No bloody stool was identified. The newborn was in poor condition, dehydrated and hypothermic. He was promptly resuscitated and an abdominal ultrasound was quickly performed, it showed an ileocecal intussusception located in the right hypochondriac region. An emergency laparotomy was performed confirming the ultrasound findings. The pathological exam of the resected bowel confirmed the presence of an intussusception with areas of hemorrhagic rearrangements but no lead point was detected. The patient died from septicemia.

Intussusception occurring in the neonate is still difficult to assess, because of its rarity and its uncommon mode of presentation. This case report underlines the importance to make early diagnosis, because once a critical condition develops, the mortality rate is likely to rise.