Jejunal intussusception: a cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding?

Abstract

Intussusception is an important cause of abdominal pain in the paediatric population and is the most common abdominal emergency in early childhood. Intussusception in adults is, however, rare and can lead to diagnostic challenges for admitting physicians/surgeons. We present a case of a 76-year-old lady with history of a recent myocardial infarction and vasculitis presenting with melaena and bleeding per rectum, with suspicion of haematochezia. She complained of abdominal pain but was not clinically obstructed. Gastroscopy performed was negative. Colonoscopy was attempted; however, it was inconclusive because of active bleeding. A CT angiogram of the abdomen was performed, which showed a jejunal intussusception. There was no evidence of vasculitis or small bowel obstruction. She was not considered fit for surgery and was managed conservatively.

Figure 1

CT scan of the abdomen depicting a ‘target lesion’ of jejunal intussusception.