Table 1 The characteristics of intussusception in adults and children

Frequency

5% of all cases

95% of all cases

Part of the bowel involved

Commonly involves small bowel

Usually involved colon

Symptoms

Classical symptoms of intussusception are not always present

Classical symptoms are present in many cases

Cause

Caused by malignancy (50%) or polyp

Idiopathic due to lymphoid hyperplasia in Peyer's patches

Treatment

Treatment is usually resection of intussuscepted segment without reduction (to prevent seedling of malignant cells)

Treatment is hydrostatic reduction and if needed manual reduction by laparotomy, resection not needed unless gangrene sets in