Avoiding unnecessary bowel resection in adult intussusception: a case report in a patient with multiple prior...

Intussusception is a rare condition in adults, accounting for approximately 5% of all cases. Unlike pediatric intussusception, which is typically idiopathic, the adult cases are usually associated with an underlying pathology, most commonly malignancies. The surgical intervention is often required, but in small bowel cases, where malignancy is less frequent than in colonic intussusception, the decision regarding resection requires careful consideration. There are no prior reports on the use of intraoperative enteroscopy for small bowel intussusception evaluation. We report the case of a 78-year-old woman who presented with acute abdominal pain, nausea, and bilious vomiting. She had a history of distal gastrectomy with gastroduodenostomy (Billroth-I) and total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y for gastric ulcer and residual stomach cancer, respectively. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed small bowel intussusception without clear evidence of a lead point lesion. The emergency laparotomy confirmed intussusception 15 cm distal to the Roux-en-Y anastomosis, which was manually reduced. The intraoperative enteroscopy revealed inflammatory changes but no malignancy or structural abnormalities. Given the absence of a lead point lesion and the viability of the bowel, resection was avoided. The patient had an uneventful postoperative course and was discharged without complications. Adult intussusception is frequently associated with malignancy, yet cases without a lead point lesion pose a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. The surgical history, including prior anastomotic procedures, may contribute to the pathogenesis through disrupted intestinal pacemaker activity and retrograde contractions. While second-look surgery can aid in bowel viability assessment, it carries a high complication rate. This case highlights the potential role of intraoperative enteroscopy in evaluating small bowel viability, minimizing unnecessary resection, and improving surgical decision-making. Although further studies are needed to assess its role in optimizing surgical outcomes, intraoperative enteroscopy may be a valuable adjunct in cases of adult small bowel intussusception without an apparent lead point.