Purpose
Whereas intussusception is relatively common in children, it is clinically rare in adults. The condition is usually secondary to a definable lesion. This study was designed to review adult intussusception, including presentation, diagnosis, and optimal treatment.
Methods
A retrospective review of 22 cases of intussusception occurring in individuals older than aged 18 years encountered at two university-affiliated hospitals in Winnipeg between 1989 and 2000. The 22 cases were divided to benign and malignant enteric, ileocolic, colonic lesions respectively. The diagnosis and treatment of each case were reviewed.
Results
There were 22 cases of adult intussusception. Mean age was 57.1 years. Abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting were the commonest symptoms. There were 14 enteric, 2 ileocolic, and 6 colonic intussusceptions. Eighty-six percent of adult intussusception was associated with a definable lesion. Twenty-nine percent of enteric lesions were malignant. All ileocolic lesions were malignant. Of colonic lesions, 33 percent were malignant and 67 percent were benign. All cases required surgical interventions except one.
Conclusions
Adult intussusception is a rare entity and requires a high index of suspicion. Our review supports that small-bowel intussusception should be reduced before resection if the underlying etiology is suspected to be benign or if the resection required without reduction is deemed to be massive. Large bowel should generally be resected without reduction because pathology is mostly malignant.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
D Moulin Particlede MD Paul Barbette (1985) ArticleTitleA seventeenth-century Amsterdam author of best-selling textbooks Bull Hist Med 59 506–514 Occurrence Handle3912022
I Noble (1971) Master surgeon: John Hunter J. Messner New York 185
H Hutchinson J Hutchinson et al. (1946) Jonathan Hutchinson, life and letters W. Heinemann Medical Books London
MN Akcay M Polat M Cadirci et al. (1994) ArticleTitleTumor-induced ileo-ileal invagination in adults Am Surg 60 980–981 Occurrence Handle7992979 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:ByqD1crhsVw%3D
D Weilbaecher JA Bolin D Hearn et al. (1971) ArticleTitleIntussusception in adults. Review of 160 cases Am J Surg 121 531–535 Occurrence Handle5557762 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:CS6B2M%2FptlQ%3D Occurrence Handle10.1016/0002-9610(71)90133-4
GB Sanders WH Hagan DW Kinnaird (1958) ArticleTitleAdult intussusception and carcinoma of the colon Ann Surg 147 796–804 Occurrence Handle13534248 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:CyeD2sjhvVw%3D
D Brayton WJ Norris (1954) ArticleTitleIntussusception in adults Am J Surg 88 32–43 Occurrence Handle13158719 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:CyuD2sfmvFM%3D Occurrence Handle10.1016/0002-9610(54)90328-1
DM Nagorney MG Sarr DC McIlrath (1981) ArticleTitleSurgical management of intussusception in the adult Ann Surg 193 230–236 Occurrence Handle7469558 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:Bi6C3s3ks1Q%3D Occurrence Handle10.1097/00000658-198102000-00019
LK Eisen JD Cunningham AH Aufses SuffixJr (1999) ArticleTitleIntussusception in adults: institutional review J Am Coll Surg 188 390–395 Occurrence Handle10195723 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:DyaK1M3htVSqug%3D%3D Occurrence Handle10.1016/S1072-7515(98)00331-7
DG Begos A Sandor IM Modlin (1997) ArticleTitleThe diagnosis and management of adult intussusception Am J Surg 173 88–94 Occurrence Handle9074370 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:ByiB38fivFY%3D Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0002-9610(96)00419-9
KY Tan SM Tan AG Tan et al. (2003) ArticleTitleAdult intussusception: experience in Singapore ANZ J Surg 73 1044–1047 Occurrence Handle14632903 Occurrence Handle10.1046/j.1445-2197.2003.t01-22-.x
EM Haas EL Etter S Ellis et al. (2003) ArticleTitleAdult intussusception Am J Surg 186 75–76 Occurrence Handle12842754 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0002-9610(03)00108-9
DM Warshauer JK Lee (1999) ArticleTitleAdult intussusception detected at CT or MR imaging: clinical-imaging correlation Radiology 212 853–860 Occurrence Handle10478257 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:DyaK1MvgslKqtw%3D%3D
T Azar DL Berger (1997) ArticleTitleAdult intussusception Ann Surg 226 134–138 Occurrence Handle9296505 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:ByiH2c7gs1M%3D Occurrence Handle10.1097/00000658-199708000-00003
DL Weissberg W Scheible GR Leopold (1977) ArticleTitleUltrasonographic appearance of adult intussusception Radiology 124 791–792 Occurrence Handle887775 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:CSiB3srhs1M%3D
HA Reijnen HJ Joosten HH Boer Particlede (1989) ArticleTitleDiagnosis and treatment of adult intussusception Am J Surg 158 25–28 Occurrence Handle2662787 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:BiaA3c%2Fps1Y%3D Occurrence Handle10.1016/0002-9610(89)90309-7
FY Chang JT Cheng KH Lai (1990) ArticleTitleColonoscopic diagnosis of ileocolic intussusception in an adult. A case report S Afr Med J 77 313–314 Occurrence Handle2315816 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:By%2BC1MzovVY%3D
J Bar-Ziv A Solomon (1991) ArticleTitleComputed tomography in adult intussusception Gastrointest Radiol 16 264–266 Occurrence Handle1879648 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:By6A2cfksFY%3D Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF01887362
S Yalamarthi RC Smith (2005) ArticleTitleAdult intussusception: case reports and review of literature Postgrad Med J 81 174–177 Occurrence Handle15749793 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:DC%2BD2M7hvF2ktg%3D%3D Occurrence Handle10.1136/pgmj.2004.022749
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
About this article
Cite this article
Zubaidi, A., Al-Saif, F. & Silverman, R. Adult Intussusception: A Retrospective Review. Dis Colon Rectum 49, 1546–1551 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10350-006-0664-5
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10350-006-0664-5