Incidence of recurrent intussusception following barium versus air enema

The aim of this study was to determine whether using air enema for acute intussusception is related to a higher rate of recurrence than other methods of treatment. A 10-y (1986-95) retrospective study was performed in a university-affiliated paediatric division. The overall recurrence rate for 97 patients with acute intussusception was 7.8% (10% of whom were treated non-surgically). There were no recurrences following the surgical treatment. In matched groups of patients, no risk factors were found for recurrence following air vs barium enema.