INTUSSUSCEPTION CAUSED BY A CARCINOMA OF THE CECUM DURING PREGNANCY -REPORT OF A CASE AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

A case of intussusception due to a carcinoma of the cecum during pregn ancy is reported. A 27-year-old pregnant female was admitted to Shimod ate Municipal Hospital because of abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Her abdomen was distended, and a relatively hard mass was palpable in the right hypochondrium. Following a diagnosis of intussusception by ultrasonography, a laparotomy was performed. The lesion causing the in tussusception was found to be a carcinoma of the cecum, and thus a rig ht hemicolectomy with lymph node dissection was carried out. Histologi cal examination revealed that the tumor was a well-differentiated aden ocarcinoma which had invaded the muscularis propria but was superficia l to the subserosa. None of the lymph nodes were cancerous. The incide nce of colonic cancer above the peritoneal reflection during pregnancy is very low. Only 24 cases have been previously reported; our patient is only the 25th case, as well as being the first case demonstrating Dukes' A. Due to the intussusception, ultrasonography was effective fo r diagnosis and the patient was able to undergo a curative operation a t an earlier stage than other patients.