Adult enteric intussusception: additional observations on enteroclysis

Enteroclysis patterns encountered in four patients with adult intestinal intussusception of different etiology--including a leiomyoma, a Peutz-Jeghers hamartoma, a metastatic colon carcinoma, and adhesions--were analyzed and compared to surgical and pathological findings. Emphasis was given not only to radiological signs indicative of impaired circulation but also to the preoperative evaluation of the stimulating cause. A "stretched spring" pattern, corresponding to increased distance between large and thick concentric rings, was found to conform to a stage of strangulation with exudation, whereas sharply demarcated fine rings in close proximity were suggestive of the absence of vascular impairment. The morphology of the underlying lesion was also shown to conform to the dynamic appearance of the intussusception. Benign submucosal, intraluminal tumors led to a long, rather permanent intussusception, with the tumor being the leading point; whereas intussusception associated with annular malignancies or adhesions was shorter and transient or partial, as fixation was present. The cause of the intussusception was correctly identified preoperatively in each case; the vascular compromise involved was also indicated, and the correlation between radiological appearances and morphology at pathology specimens was excellent.