A Case of Intussusception in Pregnancy: An Unexpected Complication Years After Bariatric Surgery

We present a case of bowel obstruction secondary to intussusception in a pregnant patient with a remote history of Roux-en-Y bypass. This patient presented with a one-day history of abrupt onset epigastric abdominal pain with associated nausea, emesis, and intolerance to oral intake. She was taken for an exploratory laparotomy after imaging suggested an internal hernia and a mass consistent with an intussusception was identified and resected. The patient later underwent a scheduled cesarean section at 38 weeks. Though bariatric surgery has been shown to reduce the risk of various conditions in pregnancy, the risk of developing complications, such as intussusception, should be considered when counseling female patients interested in bariatric surgery who may wish to become pregnant in the future. Additionally, pregnant patients with a history of bariatric surgery who present with acute abdominal pain should receive an urgent medical and surgical evaluation to rule out ischemic internal hernia or intussusception.