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Intussusception

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Pathology of the Gastrointestinal Tract

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Pathology ((EP))

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Synonyms

Infolding; Introversion; Invagination

Definition

Intussusception occurs when a part of the intestine (intussusceptum) telescopes or is invaginated into the distal segment (intussuscipiens) and drags the mesentery with it. It was first described in 1674 by Barbette and was first treated successfully by surgery in 1831. This condition represents one of the four major causes of obstruction: herniation, adhesion, volvulus, and intussusception. Usually, in children, invagination is idiopathic, but there are a lot of points of traction that can determine invagination of the bowel segments like tumors or different intraluminal masses. In adults, intussusception in the small bowel generally has as a lead point a benign or inflammatory lesion, while that occurring in the large bowel is more likely of malignant etiology.

Alteration of intestinal motility (hyperperistalsis; irregular, retrograde, or reduced peristalsis) is considered to be responsible for intussusception in some cases....

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References and Further Reading

  • Cserni, T., Paran, S., & Puri, P. (2007). New hypothesis on the pathogenesis of ileocecal intussusception. Journal of Pediatric Surgery, 42(9), 1515–1519.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gayer, G., Zissin, R., Apter, S., Papa, M., & Hertz, M. (2002). Pictorial review: Adult intussusception–a CT diagnosis. British Journal of Radiology, 75(890), 185–190.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kaemmerer, E., Tischendorf, J. J., Steinau, G., Wagner, N., & Gassler, N. (2010). Ileocecal intussusception with histomorphological features of inflammatory neuropathy in adenovirus infection. Gastroenterology Research and Practice, 2009, 579501. doi:10.1155/2009/579501. Epub 2010 Feb 11.

    Article  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Oshio, T., Ogata, H., Takano, S., & Ishibashi, H. (2007). Familial intussusception. Journal of Pediatric Surgery, 42(9), 1509–1514.

    Article  Google Scholar 

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Correspondence to Gabriel Becheanu .

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Becheanu, G. (2017). Intussusception. In: Carneiro, F., Chaves, P., Ensari, A. (eds) Pathology of the Gastrointestinal Tract. Encyclopedia of Pathology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40560-5_1502

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40560-5_1502

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-40559-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-40560-5

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