Pneumatic insufflation of the colon for reduction of pediatric intussusception has recently been recognized in Korea as an alternative method for the more traditional hydrostatic reduction with contrast material. From January 1988 to December
1994,
pneumatic reduction was attempted for 238 pediatric patients with intussuscption at Chunchon Sacred Heart Hospital. The mean age of the successful pneumatic reduction group was 10.8±7.5 months, and that of the surgical reduction group was
11.5±8.1
months. The male to female ratio was 1.9:1. The overall rate of successful pneumatic reduction was76.8%. Of the 183 cases of successful pneumatic reduction, 18 patients had recurrence during the study period (recurrence rate, 9.8%). The adverse
features
influencing pneumatic reduction rate were age 6 months, symptoms >72 h, fever, lethargy, leukocyte 10.000/mm3, gaseous distension of small bowel, and initial intussusception.
Although our success rate with gas is lower than that reported in the literatures, pneumatic reduction is safe and more successful than barium reduction. Prescribed adverse features were predictive of an increased likehood of surgical reduction,
and may
help avoid inappropriate attempts at radiological reduction.
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