How is intussusception diagnosed?

Written by Yao Li Qin
Pediatrics
Updated on March 01, 2025
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Intussusception is one of the common acute abdominal conditions in infants and young children. The primary clinical symptoms include abdominal pain, vomiting, and "jam-like" stools, with a mass often palpable in the abdomen. Initially, the overall condition of the child is generally fine, but in the later stages, symptoms such as dehydration, lethargy, coma, and shock can appear. Any healthy infant or young child who suddenly experiences episodic abdominal pain or periodic, regular bouts of crying, accompanied by vomiting, bloody stools, and a sausage-shaped mass in the abdomen, should be highly suspected of having intussusception. Once intussusception is confirmed, timely enema treatment should be administered to the child, and if the opportunity for an enema has passed, surgical treatment should be considered.

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Written by Zhang Peng
General Surgery
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Causes of Intussusception in the Elderly

Intussusception refers to an obstruction caused by one segment of the intestine entering an adjacent segment, which can occur at any age. In adults, over 85% of intussusception cases can be attributed to organic lesions, typically tumors, but also possibly due to polyps or diverticula in the intestines. Typical symptoms of intussusception may include abdominal pain, an abdominal mass, and jelly-like bloody stool. In adults, intussusception is generally treated surgically. The surgical approach often involves exploratory laparotomy, possibly involving intestinal resection and anastomosis. For the resected part, reinforced suturing is usually required. If a primary anastomosis cannot be tolerated, procedures such as creating a stoma or exteriorizing the intestine may be performed, awaiting stabilization of the condition before further treatment.

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Written by He Zong Quan
General Surgery
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How long will diarrhea from intussusception take to get better?

Intussusception causes diarrhea. In such cases, the intussusception itself indicates an intestinal blockage. Patients with the obstruction will experience significant pain, vomiting, bloating, and closure. The anus will stop discharging gas or stool. If diarrhea occurs at this time, it is not caused by the intussusception. If the intussusception cannot be resolved, the diarrhea will improve in the short term. Of course, we must address the main issue of intussusception, and the diarrhea can be temporarily disregarded. We only need to perform air enema reduction and mainly resolve the intestinal obstruction and intussusception through surgical treatment. Diarrhea, because it is treated with IV fluids and some intestinal anti-inflammatory medications, will naturally subside.

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Written by Quan Xiang Mei
Pediatrics
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Does intussusception cause diarrhea?

Intussusception is a common surgical condition in infants and young children, characterized primarily by symptoms such as abdominal pain, crying, abdominal distension, the passage of jelly-like stools, and vomiting. Some children may also experience diarrhea and frequent passage of jelly-like stools, where the symptoms of intussusception may not be particularly noticeable, leading parents to possibly overlook them. Therefore, if a child has diarrhea accompanied by jelly-like stools, it is crucial to take the child to the hospital for a consultation and an ultrasound to confirm whether it is caused by intussusception. If left untreated for a long time, it can lead to ischemic necrosis of the intestinal mucosa, necessitating surgical treatment.

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Written by Hu Qi Feng
Pediatrics
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What department should I go to for infant intussusception?

Intussusception often occurs in infants and young children, mainly presenting with vomiting, abdominal pain, and bloody stools. The first department usually visited is the emergency pediatrics. If intussusception is confirmed, treatment may involve surgery or non-surgical reduction. Therefore, after confirming intussusception, the patient needs to be transferred to pediatric surgery or general surgery for inpatient treatment.

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Written by Hu Qi Feng
Pediatrics
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How is intussusception in infants caused?

Intussusception is divided into primary and secondary types, with 95% being primary, commonly seen in infants. This is due to the fact that the mesentery at the ileocecal region in infants is not fully fixed and has greater mobility, which are structural factors that facilitate intussusception. For the 5% of secondary cases, these are more common in older children, whose intestines often have clear organic causes for intussusception. These causes include the inversion of a Meckel's diverticulum into the ileal lumen serving as a lead point; intestinal polyps, intestinal tumors, intestinal duplications, and abdominal purpura can cause thickening and swelling of the bowel wall leading to intussusception. Additionally, certain facilitating factors can disrupt the rhythm of intestinal peristalsis, thereby inducing intussusception. Changes in diet, viral infections, and diarrhea are among the factors that can trigger intussusception.