Background/aims: Small bowel intussusception is rarely diagnosed in children. And its studies have not been frequently reported. While surgical treatment has been considered as standard treatment in small bowel intussusception in adult population, spontaneous reduction of it is increasingly reported recently. Therefore, we analyzed the clinical features and outcome of small bowel intussusception in children compared with ileocolic intussusception.
Methods: 95 children with the diagnosis of intussusception who visited Sanggye-Paik hospital were included in this study between March 2000 and December 2003. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records and imaging findings. Ultrasonographic studies were performed by an experienced pediatric radiology staff using SEQUOIA 512 machine (probe 4-8 MHz).
Results: A total of 80 patients with ileocolic intussusception (41 male, 39 female) and 15 patients (11 male, 4 female) with small bowel intussusception were diagnosed. Children with small bowel intussusception were older than ileocolic intussusception (mean age: 40 months vs. 16 months). The presenting symptoms of small bowel intussusception were vomiting, irritability, abdominal pain, bloody stool, and abdominal mass in order and were not different with those of ileocolic intussusception. While in ileocolic intussusception group, reduction was done by gastrograffin enema (73.8%), spontaneous reduction (0%) and surgical reduction (26.3%), spontaneous reduction was done in 73.3% and surgical reduction in 20% in small bowel intussusception group.
Conclusions: Small bowel intussusception in children occurred in older age than ileocolic intussusception and was reduced spontaneously in large proportion.