ABSTRACT
We present the results from 233 consecutive patients treated for intussusception at the Children's Hospital of Coimbra over a 13-year period (between 1/6/77 and 31/5/90). Males outnumbered females (66.5% vs 33.5%) and 87.9% of the cases occurred within the first year of life. Among the presenting signs and symptoms, abdominal pain occurred in 87.9% and vomiting in 81.5%. The presence of currant-jelly stools was less common, but noted in 67.3%. Hydrostatic barium enema was performed in 94.4% of the patients with the aim being both diagnostic and therapeutic, successful reduction was achieved in 57.7%. One hundred and twenty-one patients were operated on with specific pathologic lesion found in 11.5% of them. Complications occurred only in the group submitted to surgery. Six children were reoperated on. Most intussusceptions were of the ileocecocolic variety. The overall recurrence rate was 3.8% (3% recurrent intussusceptions followed barium enema reduction and 0.8% followed manual reduction). Mortality rate was 2.5% (1.7% related to intussusception).
