Controversy in the treatment of adult long ileocolic intussusception: Casereport

Adult intussusception is an unusual cause of intestinal obstruction. In con trast to children, intussusception in adults is usually due to an identifia ble cause. We present a case of an 81-year-old female who was diagnosed wit h a long intussusception on CT scan of the abdomen. Because of the likeliho od of neoplasia, a right hemicolectomy was undertaken, after which the pati ent recovered well. The correct treatment of adult intussusception is not u nanimously agreed upon. We present a case of long intussusception in which partial reduction of viable small bowel before the resection was done by ap plying gentle traction. This provided sufficient small bowel mesentery leng th, preventing any damage to superior mesenteric vessels and avoiding unnec essary excision of healthy bowel.