Idiopathic postpartum intussusception: a rare cause of acute abdominal pain

ABSTRACT

To present a case with acute abdominal pain due to idiopathic intestinal intussusception diagnosed by ultrasound and computed tomography [CT] during the early postpartum period. A 21-year-old female patient was admitted to our hospital with abdominal pain, nausea and emesis after a normal vaginal delivery. Laboratory tests done at admission were within normal limits except for leukocytosis. Physical examination revealed abdominal distention, guarding and rebound tenderness. Abdominal ultrasound and oral contrast-enhanced CT showed a complex mass in the hypogastrium, with a typical configuration of intussusception. Emergent laparotomy revealed ileoileal invagination approximately 70 cm to the ileocecal valve but no lead point. A partial ileal resection was performed. This case shows that when intussusception is suspected, an abdominal ultrasound should be performed even in patients with atypical symptoms. CT may be used to confirm the diagnosis