The aim of this study was to identify the risk factor related to the need for operative treatment and avoid unnecessary non-operative management for intussusception in children. We retrospectively reviewed medical records of patient treated for intussusception at our institution between January 2006 and January 2013. Clinical features such as gender, age, seasonal variation, symptoms and signs, treatment results were analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses including a chi-square test for categorical variables and logistic regression analysis were performed. During the study period, 356 patients were treated for intussusception. 328 (92.1%) was treated successfully by the non-operative pneumoreduction, and 28 (7.9%) required operative management. On univariate analysis, risk factors which were related to the need for operative treatment were age, vomiting, bloody stool, lethargy, and symptoms duration. A logistic regression analysis in order to assess for independent predictors of operative treatment was performed. Age (<6 vs ≥12 months) (OR 4.713, 95% CI 1.198~18.539, p=0.027) and symptoms duration longer than 48 hours (OR 4.534, 95% CI 1.846~11.137, p=0.001) were significantly associated with a requirement for operative treatment. We conclude that younger age and a longer duration of symptoms (≥ 48 hours) are the independent risk factor related to the need for operative treatment for intussusception. Early surgical intervention or transfer to a hospital with pediatric surgical capabilities should be considered for patients with these findings.

Intussusception is common cause of intestinal obstruction in children. Most of intussusceptions can be treated with non-operative reduction using air or barium. However, about 10% patients need operative treatment due to failure of reduction, peritonitis, and recurrence after reduction. We introduce our experience of laparoscopic surgery for intussusception. From April 2010 to March 2013, we reviewed 57 children who diagnosed intussusception. Twelve patients underwent an operation. The cause of operation was 7 of failure of air reduction and 5 of recurrence after air reduction. Median age was 21.5 months (range: 5.0~57.7 months) and 11 children (91.7%) underwent successful laparoscopic reduction. Median operating time was 50 minutes (range: 30~20 minutes) and median hospital days was 4.5 days (range: 3~8 days). One patient had a leading point as a heterotopic pancreas and underwent bowel resection through conversion. There was neither intra-operative nor postoperative complication. Laparoscopic reduction for intussusception can bring an excellent cosmetic effect with high success rate.

We analyzed the clinical characteristics and outcome of ileocecal and small bowel intussusceptions (ICI and SBI) in the pediatric patients. From August 2003 to July 2010, 144 children with intussusception were included in this study. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records and imaging study findings. A total of 86 children with ICI and 58 children with SBI were diagnosed. Children with SBI were older than ICI (36.6±24.6 months vs. 24.2±21.6 months, p=0.002). Typical symptoms such as irritability, abdominal mass, bloody stool were more frequent in ICI than SBI (p<0.05) patients. In the ICI group, intussusceptums were reduced with air reduction (84.5%), surgery (17.4%), and spontaneity (1.2%). All patients in the SBI group were reduced spontaneously. SBI occurred in older age and was reduced spontaneously more frequently than ICI. Conservative management with close observation with follow-up by ultrasonography is recommended for SBI.

Unreduced small bowel intussusception requires operative treatment although the rate of spontaneous reduction is 60 to 70%. The aim of this study is to compare clinical characteristics and outcome between spontaneous reduction and operation group and to analyze factors related to decisions to treat small bowel intussusceptions. The records of 25 patients with small bowel intussusceptions treated in Seoul National University Children's Hospital from January 1999 to August 2009 were reviewed respectively. Spontaneous reduction group (n=12, 48%) had signs and symptoms of vomiting, abdominal pain, currant jelly stool, abdominal distension, fever, increased CRP but no rebound tenderness. One of them had been diagnosed with Henoch-Schonlein purpura and no one displayed pathologic leading point by image study. Operation group (n=13, 52%) consisted of patients who had primary surgery. Their signs and symptoms were similar to spontaneous reduction group. Seven of them had underlying diseases such as Crohn' disease, ALL, Lymphoma, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (n=3), post-transplanted state of liver and 2 of them displayed Peutz-Jeghers polyp and Meckel's diverticulum as pathologic leading point by preoperative ultrasonography. Mean relieve interval (interval between onset of symptoms and reduction/operation) was 1.78 days in spontaneous reduction group and 2.25 days in operation group (p=0.341). Seven of operation group had manual reduction and 6 out of 7 received segmental resection of the small bowel. No one of them underwent manual reduction and all of them underwent segmental resection were found to have pathologic leading points [Peutz-Jeghers polyp (n=3), Meckel's diverticulum (n=2), lymphoma (n=1)] during operation. In conclusion, 48% of small bowel intussusceptions resolved spontaneously. Patients' symptoms and relieve intervals were not related to the operative decisions. We therefore recommend significant factors for determining treatment plan such as change of clinical symptoms, underlying disease or pathologic leading point by imaging.

Air reduction is a safe, effective, and fast initial treatment for pediatric intussusception. There is low dose radiation exposure. Factors affecting outcomes of air reduction were analyzed by reviewing the clinical features and results of treatment. A total of 399 out of 485 patients with pediatric intussusceptions were treated at the Seoul National University Children's Hospital from 1996 to 2009. All of the patients received air reduction as the first line of treatment. Clinical features such as gender, age, seasonal variation, symptoms, signs, types, pathologic leading point, and treatment results including success rate, complication, recurrence, NPO time, and duration of hospitalization were reviewed. The Pearson chi-square, student T-, and logistic regression tests were used for statistical analysis. P-value less than 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. The prevalent clinical features were: male (65.4%), under one-year of age (40.3%), ileocolic type (71.9%), abdominal pain (85.4%), and accompanying mesentery lymph node enlargement (2.2%). The overall success rate for air reduction was 78.4% (313 of 399 patients), and the perforation rate during reduction was 1.5%. There were 23 recurrent cases over 21.6 months. All were successfully treated with re-do air reduction. Reduction failures had longer overall NPO times (27.067hrs vs. 43.0588hrs; p=0.000) and hospitalization durations (1.738d vs. 6.975d; p=0.000) compared to the successful cases. The factors affecting success rates were fever (p=0.002), abdominal distension (p=0.000), lethargy (p=0.000) and symptom duration (p=0.000) on univariate analysis. Failure rates were higher in patients with symptom durations greater than 24 hours (p=0.023), and lethargy (p=0.003) on multivariate analysis. Air reduction showed high success rates and excellent treatment outcomes as the initial treatment for pediatric intussusception in this study. Symptom duration and lethargy were significantly associated with reduced success rates.

The purpose of this study was to determine the success rate of air reduction as the primary treatment of intussusception and whether the success of air reduction could be predicted by plain x-ray. The authors reviewed the medical records of 54 consecutive patients diagnosed with intussusception from Jan 2005 to Dec 2007 at the Department of Surgery, Masan Samsung Hospital. The natures of symptoms and findings of plain abdominal radiography performed in the emergency department (ED) were reviewed. Air reduction failed more frequently (26.3%) in patients who visited ED more than 24 hours after symptom onset (p=0.009). The mean duration of symptom for operated patients was longer than air reduction group (p=0.01). Also, 3/4 of patients having localized distension of small bowel in the left upper quadrant abdomen had unsuccessful air reduction (p=0.002). In conclusion, the time interval from symptom onset to arrival at ED and localized distension of small bowel in the left upper quadrant abdomen significantly increased the failure rate of air reduction.

To evaluate the clinical findings of the recurrent intussusception. 351 patients with 445 intussusceptions were reviewed. Recurrence rate, pattern of recurrence, reducibility, pathologic lead points (PLP), and operative findings and long term follow up of the multiple recurrences were analyzed. Of 351 patients, 303 had no recurrence, 26 had one recurrence, and 22 had multiple recurrences. Over all recurrence rate was 16.4% ; 18.5% were managed by air reduction, 16.2% by barium reduction and 5.9% by operation. Elven PLPs were proved operatively operatively and an additional 6 suspected PLPs were depicted radiologically. The most frequent PLP was ileal lymphoid hyperplasia. Intervals between reduction and recurrence were less than 2 weeks in 31 cases, between 2 weeks and 1 year in 55, and more than 1 year in 8. The longest interval was 2 years and 4 months.

Childhood intussusception is usually idiopathic, and pathological lesions as the leading point are found in limited cases. Sixteen operative cases with leadpoints among 2,889 cases of childhood intussusecption treated at the surgical departments of the affiliated hospitals of Catholic University over 19 years are reviewed. The approximate incidence of pathological lesions as the leading point was 0.6%. The male to female ratio was 2:1. The mean age was 3.5 years. There was not an age preponderance. The symptoms were vomiting (63%), abdominal pain (38%), irritability (38%), bloody stools (25%), fever (25%) and abdominal mass (6%). The average duration of the symptoms was 2.4 days (1-10days). The most common lesion was Meckel's diverticulum, followed by malignant lymphomas, polyps, ectopic pancreas, and cecal duplication. An ileocolic type was most frequent, followed by ileoileocolic and ileoileal. Segmental resection or wedge resection of the ileum was done in 10 cases, ileocecectomy in 3, and right hemicolectomy in 3. Surgical reduction was done only in an ectopic pancreas, with no later recurrence. The average hospital stay was 10 days. Postoperative adhesive ileus occurred in two cases, and in one of them adhesiolysis was performed. One case of malignant lymphoma died at 28 days after surgery due to chemotherapy related complication.

Gastroduodenal intussusception, an invagination of a part of the gastric wall through the pyloric canal into the duodenum is a rare condition. Gastroduodenal intussusception is caused by a mobile usually benign gastric tumor. However, gastroduodenal intussusception by gastric submucosal hemangiomatosis is not documented. We have managed a case of gastric submucosal tumor leading to gastroduodenal intussusception in 2 years and 10 months old boy. The tumor was 10 × 5 × 3 cm in size in posterior wall of gastric antrum. Laparotomy, manual reduction of the intussusception, and wedge resection of posterior gastric wall including the tumor were performed. Pathologic diagnosis was a submucosal hemangiomatosis.

Pathologic lead points are found in a few intussusception patients. To evaluate the pathologic lead points in childhood intussusception, a retrospective review of 227 operated cases of intussusception treated at the Yeungnam University Hospital from January 1986 to April 1999. The patients were divided into 2 groups; idiopathic group 209 cases, (92.1 % and lead points group 18 cases, 7.9 %). Intussusception developed between age two months and six months in both groups. Enteroenteric type of intussusception was relatively more frequent in the lead point group than in idiopathic group. The lead points were veil (10 cases, 52.6 %), Meckel's diverticulum(3 cases, 15.8 %), lymphoma(3 cases, 15.8 %), ectopic pancreas(2 cases, 10.5 %), Henoch-Schonlein purpura(l cases, 5.3 %). The bowel resection rate was 44.4 % in the lead point group and 8.6% in idiopathic group. The recurrence rate was 5.56 % in lead points group and 1.44 % in idiopathic group.

The surgical treatment of intussusception during two periods, 1975 - 1978 and 1995 -1998 (Group B) were compared. There were 48 patients in Group A and 75 cases in Group B. Male were predominant in both group (2.7:1 vs 1.6:1). The mean age at operation was 6.7 ± 5.0 months (Group A) and 8.1 ± 7.0 months (Group B). The major signs and symptoms in both Groups included vomiting, hematochezia and irritability. There was a significantly higher bowel resection rate for group B (31.3 % vs 14.7 %, p=0.041 ). There were two operative deaths in group B but no deaths in group A. Hospitalization was significantly shorter in group B(7.5 ± 2.7 days vs 5.4 ± 2.1 days, p<0.001). We conclude that there were no differences in patient characteristics but surgical treatment in the 1990s results in more rapid recovery and reduced hospital stay.

Reduction of intussusception using air or oxygen has wide acceptance as an alternative to conventional hydrostatic reduction. This study was undertaken to evaluate the results and complications of air pressure enema in 948 pediatric inc tussusception. One hundred and twenty nine cases were operated on at the Department of Surgery, Masan Samsung Hospital from 1985 to 1996 because of air reduction failure. The success rate was 86.4 %. Twenty-one patients(2.2 %) showed perforation during air reduction. Risk prone factors of perforation were; age less than 3 months(42.9 % vs 11.1 %), duration of symptoms greater than 48 hours(66.7 % vs 33.3 %), and presence of pathologic leading point(28.6 % vs 3.7 %). Vomitting and spontaneous rectal bleeding revealed higher prediction to the complication. In ninteen cases, bowel infarction, coagulated necrosis and hemorrhage suggested that the cause of perforation was due to the preexisting strangulation. In conclusion, when doing an air pressure enema reduction, care must be taken if the patient is of a young age or the symptoms are of long duration.

Although nonoperative reduction plays a major role in the management of uncomplicated intussusception in the pediatric age group, surgical treatment is still a necessary alternative when nonoperative reduction is unsuccessfuL The author analyzed the clinical features of 68 patients requiring operation in order to identify factors which might influence the type of operative management. A nine-year experience at Ewha Womans University Hospital was reviewed, and the findings compared to previous reports. Barium was used for the initial reduction attempt in 33 cases, saline in 35. Manual reduction by milking at operation achieved success in 41 cases(60.3%). Fifteen cases(22.1 %) required resection of bowel, and 12 patients(l7.6%) were found to have spontaneous and complete reduction of the intussusception at operation. Two cases had pathologic leading points. There were no perforations due to nonoperative reduction. There were no significant differences in demographic data, clinical findings, laboratory data, and anatomic type of intussusception between barium and saline reduction groups. However, a significant number of cases with spontaneous reduction were in saline reduction group(p<0.05). There was a slight chance of spontaneous reduction in infants under 6 month of age(p<0.001). Age under 6 month, body temperaure over 38℃, symptom over 24 hours, and ileo-colic and ileo-ileo-colic intussusception contributed significantly to the necessity for bowel resection(p<0.05-0.001). The author believes that the age, body temperature, duration of illness, and anatomic type of intussusception strongly influence operative management.