Advances in Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Rima Arini

Padjadjaran University, Indonesia

Title: Abstract: Abdominal pain is a common adult presentation to emergency departments, outpatient clinics and general practitioners. Although rare, intussusception, a process whereby a segment of the intestine telescopes into the adjoining intestinal lumen, may be the source of pain in adults that present with non-specific abdominal pain. Imaging is the mainstay for intussusception diagnosis, and requires prompt accurate interpretation to prevent complications. A case of a middle-aged male is presented, whom self presented to the emergency department with a four-day history of non-relenting abdominal pain; associated with nausea, vomiting and constipation. Examination revealed involuntary guarding, worse on the right side and the presence of bowel sounds. Following blood tests, CXR and CT imaging, the patient was discharged from the Emergency Department with a suspected passed renal stone. Within days, the patient re-presented to the GP with similar abdominal pain – prompting the GP to request a review of his CT images. It was found that the initial radiologist failed to recognise the subtle presence of intussusception. These findings highlight that, although relatively uncommon, intussusception should be considered as a differential diagnosis in adult patients presenting with intermittent abdominal pain. Moreover, radiologists need to be familiar with the clear, and subtler, radiological signs of this diagnosis. Upon diagnosis, treatment depends on the underlying cause and can vary from conservative treatment to surgical intervention.