SUSPECTED INTUSSUSCEPTION - IS ULTRASOUND A RELIABLE DIAGNOSTIC-AID

Background: Infantile intussusception often presents with symptoms mor e common to less dangerous conditions, and diagnosis must be establish ed as early as possible. Clinical diagnosis is often wrong and contras t enema is invasive. Sonography is painless and harmless and if it pro vides a reliable method of diagnosis or exclusion of intussusception, diagnosic delay will be avoided. Methods: In the John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, between 1993 and 1994, the names of all children referred for abdominal sonography with a degree of suspicion of intussusception were recorded, and the histories were subsequently reviewed. Results: Fifty patients were studied. Forty-one patients had no sonographic ev idence of intussusception and nine patients had positive findings. Non e of the 41 patients who had negative sonograms proved to have intussu sception. The nine patients who had positive findings were subjected t o air enema. In two patients the sonographic diagnosis was proved wron g. In the other seven patients it was confirmed. Thus there were two f alse positives and no false negatives. Conclusion: Sonography is a rel iable aid to the clinical diagnosis of intussusception.