It is more common in infants and children than it is in adults.
Intussusception can be life-threatening and requires immediate treatment.
Symptoms of intussusception can include abdominal pain, jelly-like, bloody stools, vomiting, diarrhea, and fever.
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The large intestine, which is also tube-like, is connected to the small intestine via the ileocecal valve.
Finally, the waste material exits the body through theanusas abowel movement.
Intussusception Symptoms
Intussusception is more common in infants and children and rarely occurs in adults.
Symptoms of intussusceptioninclude:
Not every symptom will occur in every case of intussusception.
Some children, especially those that are older, may only have pain and not any other symptoms.
Infants, however, may not cry or give other cues that they are in pain.
Infants that do have abdominal pain may respond by crying and pulling their knees up to their chest.
Because its challenging to diagnose in adults, some people may go quite some time before seeing a doctor.
Peritonitis is a medical emergency and requires immediate treatment.
One possible cause of intussusception in children is a virus.
Viruses have been found in the stool of children who have had intussusception.
They cause the intestine to move in a wave-like way.
This is an outpouching in the wall of the small intestine.
A Meckels diverticulum is present at birth (congenital).
Diagnosis
Intussusception might be suspected when an infant or child has abdominal pain and/or other symptoms.
A doctor may also be able to feel the location of the intussusception.
However, the presence of a blockage that shows on an X-ray may offer more diagnostic clues.
Anabdominal ultrasoundis more useful in identifying an intussusception, especially in children.
For children, a pediatric surgeon may be consulted to get to provide the best care.
For adults and children who appear critically ill, surgery on the intestines may be done right away.
Treatment
There are a few ways that an intussusception might be treated.
Air enema.An air enema is what it sounds like: air is introduced into the intestines.
This is done by passing a tube through the anus and into the rectum.
Air is moved through the tube and into the intestines.
Then some X-rays are taken.
The air helps the location of the intussusception be visible on the X-ray films.
X-rays are then taken and the barium helps in visualizing the area of the intestine that has telescoped.
Surgery may be donelaparoscopically, with a few small incisions, or open, which is a larger incision.
Prognosis
There is a risk of intussusception recurring soon after treatment.
In most cases, the condition can be treated in children without surgery, and recurrence is not common.
For adults, surgery might be needed more often.
2015;2015:856483. doi:10.1155/2015/856483
Cleveland Clinic.Meckel’s diverticulum.
