In the past 10 years barium enema and surgery, either separately or in combination, were used to diagnose and treat 751 infants and children with intussusception at the Taegu Fatima Hospital. This paper reviews the experience with 272 consecutive
cases
underwent operative treatment at the Division of Pediatric surgery.
The majority of patients (85.3%) were under 1 year of age, and more than two-thirds were between 4 and 9 months. Males predominates in a ratio of 2 : 1. Two hundred fifty eight cases out of 272 were operated on because of failure of barium enema
reduction, and eight were carried out primary surgery without attempt barium enema reduction. Ileocolic was by far the most frequent type of intussusception. Pathologic lead point was identified only in 13 patients(4.8%) and Meckel's diverticulum
was
the most common one. At operation an every effort was made to reduce almost all the intussusception; this was successful in 87.5% of the patients, and bowel resection and end-to-end anastomosis was performed in 21 cases(7.7%), two because of
impossibility of mannual reduction, nine because of bowel gangrene, nine because of lead points and the other one because of bowel perforation during attempt barium enema reduction. Absence of intussusception at laparotomy suggested spontaneous
reduction between barium enema and surgery was noted in twelve cases (4.4%).
There were eight recurrences(2.9%) following surgery. Twenty five patients (9.2%) had postoperative complications other than recurrence. Major complications included wound infection, small bowel obstruction and pulmonary complications. The mean
duration
of stay in hospital showed some differences, being 8.3 days in the group treated with mannual reduction and 14.4 days in the group treated with bowel resection. There were no mortality in this series treated by operation.
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