Background: Postoperative intussusception is an uncommon and sometimes forg
otten cause of postoperative intestinal obstruction in children.
Methods: Eleven consecutive cases of postoperative intussusception during a
period of 16 years (1981-1997) were analysed retrospectively.
Results: Symptoms developed after a median period of 5 days after operation
. With one exception, postoperative intussusception was not diagnosed befor
e reoperation. In ten of the 11 cases the intussusception was successfully
treated with intraoperative manual reduction.
Conclusion: Postoperative intussusception is a rare but typical complicatio
n in the paediatric age group and should be kept in mind.