What is intussusceptions?

A gut blockage: Intussusception means when one part of the bowel slides into another part. This is much like a telescope slides into itself. When this happens a blockage in the bowel occurs, with the walls of the intestines pressing against one another. When this happens, the gut walls swells and decreased blood flow to the part of the intestines happens - a serious medical condition that may need surgery.

Telescoping bowel: Intussusception is a condition where the intestine telescopes on itself. Part of the intestine is swept up by the movement of the muscle, or peristaltic movement, and carried over the part just past it. This causes an obstruction as the walls of the intestine swell. It's an emergency that needs to be seen in the er quickly, but is cured generally by an air contrast enema, or air up the rectum.

Bowel obstruction: Intussusception means that a segment of intestine becomes telescoped into an adjacent segment of bowel resulting in bowel obstruction, which occurs most often in children between 3 mo and 6 years of age. Affected child experiences severe colicky pain that recurs at frequent intervals and shows straining efforts with legs and knees bent and loud cries.

See picture to left: Intussusception is when the bowel telescopes into the bowel down stream. It is like rolling a pair of socks. It causes obstruction, cramping , and bloody stools. It may require a barium enema to treat and/or diagnose. Surgery if enema fails to reduce.

Invagination of bowe: Intususseception is when the intestines invaginate or "telescope" on itself. This can be an incidental finding on a ct scan or can be a cause of abdominal pain. There is typically a lead point in the bowel which causes it. This can be a mass or tumor or swelling from another cause. If symptomatic, it may need surgery to remove that segment of bowel.

It is age dependent: Most occur in children from 3-12 months and have no pathologic reason for them to occur and are 'reduced' by an air/contrast enema. When older, there may a 'lead' point and require surgery to remove the lead point. With newer scans, they are seen frequently and have no meaning. Occasionally, they occur after surgery and are related to disordered awakening of motility of the bowel.

I will : Try to explain in simple terms. In medicine intussusception means infolding, slipping, telescoping a length of an intestine into another and causing intestinal obstruction. This is a medical emergency as if nor operated in time the bowel will go necrotic/die. Imagine a collapsible photo camera tele lens that can slide into each other when you ended taking the picture.

Telescoping bowel: Intussusception is the bowel telescoping into itself. Usually the last part of the small bowel moves into the large bowel. (ileocolic). Enlarged lymph nodes are usually the lead point or cause, but tumors can also cause it. This can happen to any age but is mostly in the young, 2 months to 2 years. Early diagnosis can avoid surgery by barium enema reduction.