Success Rate of Ultrasound Guided Hydrostatic Reduction for Childhood Intussusception

Objective: To study the success rate of ultrasound guided hydrostatic reduction for childhood intussusceptions. Material and Methods: This study was conducted at the Paediatric Surgery and Radiology units of PGMI Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar from November 2007 to November 2010. All patients with abdominal pain, per rectal bleeding, bilious vomiting and a palpable abdominal mass were subjected to an ultrasound scan. Those cases with ultrasound evidence of intussusception were included in the study. Data was analyzed by descriptive statistics. Results: In three years there were eighty-five patients with ultrasound proven intussusception. Out of these, 50 patients were male, while 35 were female with a male to female ratio of 1.4:1. Apart from abdominal pain, 68(80%) patients presented with bleeding per rectum and 59 (69.41%) patients had a palpable mass. In 64(75.29%) patients successful reduction was accomplished. Hydrostatic reduction was impossible in 21 (24.1%) because of late presentation. One patient died because of septicemia. All the patients were followed for a period of 2-4 weeks. Conclusion: Ultrasound-guided hydrostatic reduction is a feasible and effective method for the treatment of intussusception in children because of its radiation-sparing effect and high success rate.