Intussusception caused by a carcinoma of the cecum during pregnancy: report of a case and review of the literature

Abstract

A case of intussusception due to a carcinoma of the cecum during pregnancy is reported. A 27-year-old pregnant female was admitted to Shimodate Municipal Hospital because of abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Her abdomen was distended, and a relatively hard mass was palpable in the right hypochondrium. Following a diagnosis of intussusception by ultrasonography, a laparotomy was performed. The lesion causing the intussusception was found to be a carcinoma of the cecum, and thus a right hemicolectomy with lymph node dissection was carried out. Histological examination revealed that the tumor was a well-differentiated adenocarcinoma which had invaded the muscularis propria but was superficial to the subserosa. None of the lymph nodes were cancerous. The incidence of colonic cancer above the peritoneal reflection during pregnancy is very low. Only 24 cases have been previously reported; our patient is only the 25th case, as well as being the first case demonstrating Dukes' A. Due to the intussusception, ultrasonography was effective for diagnosis and the patient was able to undergo a curative operation at an earlier stage than other patients.