Diagnosis and treatment of childhood intussusception using rea-time ultrasonography and saline enema: preliminary report

Diagnosis and successful reduction of intussusception using realtime ultrasonography and saline enema was reported in 2 cases of ileocolic childhood intussusception. The principle of this saline enema is the same with barium enema in terms of hydrostatic reduction. But barium and fluoroscopy were replaced by warm normal saline and realtime ultrasonography. Characteristic ultrasonographic findings of intussusception prior to and during the saline enema were well demonstrated. Reduction process of intussusception could be traced by real time scan along the course of the colon and successful reduction could be confirmed by ultrasonography alone. Ultrasonographic evidences of successful reduction were loss of echogenic mass with rapid turbulent flow of saline in cecum and absence of target sign in ultrasonography after evaluation of saline. This new method not only is free from radiation exposure and risk of barium peritonitis but also shows characteristic ultrasonographic findings of intussusception as specific as barium enema. Therefore it is expected that hydrostatic saline enema with reatime ultrasonography can replace the barium enema as a treatment of choice of childhood intussusception