Pediatric intussusception should see which department?

Written by Yao Li Qin
Pediatrics
Updated on May 20, 2025
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Pediatric intussusception is a surgical condition, so it is of course treated by pediatric surgery. When a child shows persistent crying and abdominal pain, along with bloody stools, there is a high suspicion of intussusception, and they should see a pediatric surgeon.

A professional pediatric surgeon will conduct a comprehensive physical examination of the child. If intussusception is suspected, an air enema should be performed under the guidance of X-ray imaging. Once intussusception is confirmed, conservative treatment is initially attempted. If conservative treatment fails, surgical treatment is required. Therefore, based on the above, pediatric intussusception definitely requires consultation with pediatric surgery.

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Written by Hu Qi Feng
Pediatrics
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Can infants with intussusception sleep?

Intussusception presents as abdominal pain, which occurs in sudden, severe, and periodic episodes. The child cries restlessly with a pale face, and the pain lasts several minutes or longer. The pain then subsides, and during this relief, the child falls asleep. The pain reoccurs every ten to twenty minutes. Continuous episodes occur until the intussusception is successfully reduced, after which the child calms down and falls asleep without further crying or vomiting.

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Written by Hu Qi Feng
Pediatrics
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Symptoms of recurrent intussusception in children

5-8% of the children may experience recurrent intussusception. Enema reduction has a higher recurrence rate than surgical reduction. The manifestations of recurrence are similar to the initial episode, primarily presenting as abdominal pain, vomiting, bloody stools, or a palpable intussusceptum-like mass in the abdomen. The abdominal pain is mainly intermittent, and can last for several minutes or longer, accompanied by pale complexion. The vomitus may include curds or food residues, possibly containing bile; in later stages, it may resemble fecal matter. Bloody stools may appear as jelly-like mucoid blood.

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Written by Hu Qi Feng
Pediatrics
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Infant intussusception symptoms

Intussusception clinically presents with abdominal pain, which occurs in fits and starts and has a regular pattern. This manifests as sudden spasmodic colic; the child cries and is restless, drawing the knees up to the belly and turning pale. The pain lasts for several minutes or longer, then eases off, allowing the child to fall asleep quietly. These episodes recur every 10 to 20 minutes as intestinal movements provoke further attacks. Vomiting occurs, initially consisting of curdled milk or food residues and later containing bile-stained, feculent fluid. Moreover, blood in stools is an important symptom. Symptomatically, stools may appear normal for a few hours, but within six to twelve hours, 85% of affected children might pass jelly-like mucus blood stools. A palpable lump can be detected in the upper right abdomen, indicative of the point of intussusception. As for general symptoms, the child may appear well early on, but as the condition worsens, intestinal necrosis or peritonitis may occur, leading to severe dehydration, high fever, lethargy, coma, shock, and other signs of systemic toxicity.

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Written by Yan Xin Liang
Pediatrics
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Early symptoms of intussusception in children

Intussusception in children refers to a segment of the intestine telescoping into the adjoining lumen, causing an obstruction to the passage of intestinal contents. Intussusception accounts for 15%-20% of intestinal obstructions and can be primary or secondary. Generally, primary intussusception is more common in infants and young children. Early symptoms may include bloating, abdominal pain, vomiting, possibly accompanied by bloody stools, and a palpable mass in the abdomen. Moreover, intussusception can occur in multiple locations, such as jejunum into jejunum, jejunum into ileum, ileum into ileum, ileum into cecum, ileum into colon, colon into colon, etc. Among these, ileo-cecal intussusception is the most common, while small intestine into small intestine and colon into colon are relatively rare.

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Written by Hu Qi Feng
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How to treat intussusception in infants

The treatment of intussusception mainly includes non-surgical and surgical methods. The non-surgical method involves enema treatment. Within 48 hours of the onset of intussusception, if the overall condition is good, there is no abdominal distension, no apparent dehydration, and no electrolyte disorders, ultrasound-guided hydrostatic enema, air enema, or barium enema can be performed. If the intussusception lasts more than 48 to 72 hours, or if the duration is shorter but the condition is severe, with intestinal necrosis or perforation, surgical treatment is required.