Adult Intussusception: Diagnosis and Treatment

Purpose: Adult intussusception occurs infrequently and differs greatly from childhood intussusception in etiology. Proper diagnostic of and surgical therapeutic methods for adult intussusception remain controversial. The aim of this study was to determine useful diagnostic modalities and proper surgical interventions in adult intussusception. Methods: A retrospective analysis performed at Chonbuk National University Hospital identified 38 patients, aged 15 and older, with a diagnosis of intussusception from January 1991 to January 2007. Results: There were 19 males and 19 females. The median age of the group was 44 years with a range of 20 to 80 years. The mean follow-up period was 82 months. Abdominal pain was the most common presenting complaint (89%). There were 30 small bowel intussusceptions and 8 coloni