children s health issues
Intussusception
Symptoms of Intussusception
Intussusception usually causes episodes of stomach pain and vomiting to begin suddenly in a child who is otherwise healthy. The episodes typically last 15 to 20 minutes. At first, the child appears relatively well between episodes. Later, as ischemia develops, the pain becomes continuous, the child becomes irritable and/or lethargic, and some children pass currant jelly–like stools (dark red stools containing blood and mucus) or develop a fever. Children who have a perforation appear ill and have pain when the abdomen is touched. Sometimes doctors can feel a sausage-shaped mass in the abdomen where the intussusception is located. Rarely, children who have intussusception do not have pain. Instead, these children appear lethargic as though they are intoxicated. One part of the intestine slides into another, much like the parts of a collapsible telescope. As a result, the intestine is blocked. 