Symptoms and Treatments of Intussusception

8. 8. Treatment: Surgery

When an underlying medical problem causes intussusception, when it occurs in the small intestine, and when it occurs in children over the age of three or in adults, surgery may be required.

The surgeon will open the abdomen and first determine if they can manually squeeze the intestine back into place. If that is not possible, the surgeon may attempt to reduce intussusception by pulling segments of the intestine apart with forceps. 

In severe cases where necrosis has occurred, the surgeon will resect— or remove— the damaged or dead tissue.

If you think your child may have intussusception, don’t wait to see a doctor. If this condition is caught early, the prognosis is very good.