Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Mar;56(3):587-596.
doi: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2020.09.055. Epub 2020 Oct 6.

Management of intussusception in children: A systematic review

Affiliations

Management of intussusception in children: A systematic review

Lorraine I Kelley-Quon et al. J Pediatr Surg. 2021 Mar.

Abstract

Objective: The goal of this systematic review by the American Pediatric Surgical Association Outcomes and Evidence-Based Practice Committee was to develop recommendations for the management of ileocolic intussusception in children.

Methods: The ClinicalTrials.gov, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus databases were queried for literature from January 1988 through December 2018. Search terms were designed to address the following topics in intussusception: prophylactic antibiotic use, repeated enema reductions, outpatient management, and use of minimally invasive techniques for children with intussusception. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. Consensus recommendations were derived based on the best available evidence.

Results: A total of 83 articles were analyzed and included for review. Prophylactic antibiotic use does not decrease complications after radiologic reduction. Repeated enema reductions may be attempted when clinically appropriate. Patients can be safely observed in the emergency department following enema reduction of ileocolic intussusception, avoiding hospital admission. Laparoscopic reduction is often successful.

Conclusions: Regarding intussusception in hemodynamically stable children without critical illness, pre-reduction antibiotics are unnecessary, non-operative outpatient management should be maximized, and minimally invasive techniques may be used to avoid laparotomy.

Level of evidence: Level 3-5 (mainly level 3-4) TYPE OF STUDY: Systematic Review of level 1-4 studies.

Keywords: enema; intussusception; outpatient; surgery.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
PRISMA flow diagram of literature search and exclusion
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Intussusception Management Algorithm

References

    1. Applegate KE. Intussusception in children: evidence-based diagnosis and treatment. Pediatr Radiol 2009;39:140–3. 10.1007/s00247-009-1178-9. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Mona Eng P, Mast TC, Loughlin J, Clifford CR, Wong J, Seeger JD. Incidence of Intussusception Among Infants in a Large Commercially Insured Population in the United States. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2012;31:287–91. 10.1097/INF.0b013e31824213b1. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kolsen Fischer T Intussusception in Early Childhood: A Cohort Study of 1.7 Million Children . Pediatrics 2004;114:782–5. 10.1542/peds.2004-0390. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ntoulia A, Tharakan SJ, Reid JR, Mahboubi S. Failed Intussusception Reduction in Children: Correlation Between Radiologic, Surgical, and Pathologic Findings. Am J Roentgenol 2016;207:424–33. 10.2214/AJR.15.15659. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Moher D, Liberati A, Tetzlaff J, Altman DG, PRISMA Group. Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: the PRISMA Statement. Open Med 2009;3:e123–30. 10.1371/journal.pmed1000097. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types