Intussusception
Intussusception happens when one part of the bowel slides into the adjacent part, causing blockage and sometimes reduced blood flow.
When to get help quickly: Intussusception is an emergency, especially in children, because dehydration, bowel damage, and reduced blood flow can develop quickly.
Common symptoms
Symptoms often include severe abdominal pain that comes and goes, vomiting, pallor, a swollen abdomen, and sometimes stool mixed with blood or mucus.
When imaging helps
Imaging helps confirm the diagnosis quickly, and in children imaging may also be part of treatment when air or contrast enema reduction is attempted.
What radiology does
Ultrasound often shows the classic bowel-within-bowel pattern, and CT may help in adults or complicated cases.
What usually happens next
Management may include enema reduction in children or surgery depending on age, cause, and severity.
Seen this on your report?
Your doctor or the radiologist who wrote it can tell you what it means for you.
Related scan guides
- Defecography (Defecating Proctography)A defecography is a fluoroscopy study of the rectum and pelvic floor done during the act of defecation. It is used to investigate constipation, incomplete emptying, and prolapse — symptoms that no other imaging test can show as directly.
- Gastrojejunostomy (GJ) Tube PlacementA GJ Tube extends past the stomach directly into the small intestine, making it the preferred feeding tube for patients with severe reflux, gastroparesis, or stomach blockages.
- MR DefecographyAn MR Defecography is a specialized MRI scan that records how the pelvic floor moves during a bowel movement. It is used to investigate constipation, prolapse, leakage, and other pelvic floor problems that cannot be fully evaluated by a standard scan.