Chronic nonischemic ileo-ileo-colic intussusceptionc

Abstract

Background. Chronic intussusception is a prolapse of a portion of the bowel into the lumen of an immediately adjacent segment of the bowel; it lasts for 14 days or more. The aim of the article is to present a rare cause of nonacute abdominal pain.

Case report. We report about 14-year-old girl who presented with a one-month history of intermittent cramping lower abdominal pain and change in bowel behavior. Plain abdominal x-ray, ultrasonography and CT were performed. Laparatomy revealed an ileo-ileo-colic intusussception (70 cm long); invaginated Meckel's diverticulum was a prevailing anomaly.

Conclusions. Atypical clinical presentation of chronic intussusception often results in delayed or inadequate management of such cases because of the lack of suspicion of a correct diagnosis. Preoperative diagnosis of invagination was based on ultrasonography and computed tomography (CT) which proved again as the most effective and useful preoperative diagnostic method. Surgical intervention is always needed in adults and older children because of high incidence of underlying lesions in them.