Abstract:
Background: Intussusception is the leading cause of pediatric surgery emergency hospital admissions. It is the most common childhood diseases & causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. The diagnosis of intussusceptions is usual made by combination of clinical evaluation and imaging modalities. Ultrasound imaging is mostly utilized for diagnosis of intussusception. The morbidity and mortality following intussusception was high in sub-Saharan African infants. Late presentation is the strong risk factor for increased morbidity and mortality in Africa
Methods: The study is facility based, cross sectional retrospective study of children
aged 13 years and below who were admitted and treated for intussusception between October 2017 and October 2020 at the pediatric surgery unit of Felegehiwot and Tibebegion hospitals in Bahirdar, Ethiopia. Data is collected from medical records and organized, tallied, summarized, analyzed using SPSS software version 23 and presented in tables, figures and charts. The result is discussed by comparing analyzed data with other research done.
Result: A total of 82 patient charts are retrieved and studied .The male patients account 70% of patients with intussusception. Most patients are below the age of 12 months which accounts for 74% of patients. The classic triad of vomiting, abdominal pain and bloody stool presented in 51% of patients. Only 39% of patients present within 24 hours of the onset of the illness. All patients are managed surgically. Post-operative complications happen in 31% of overall patients. After adjusting for age and duration of illness, for those patients for whom intraoperative bowel resection and anastomoses was done has the risk of post-operative complication is 6.09 times compared to patients for whom simple manual reduction done.
Conclusion: This study has shown that most patients with intussusception present into medical care after 48 hours of onset of the illness. Viability of the bowel has significantly affects the post-operative complications and the overall treatment outcome. Proper referral system could minimize unnecessary patient delays.
Key words: Intussusception, Morbidity, Mortality, Pattern