Early recurrence of ileocolic intussusception after successful air enema reduction: incidence and predisposing factors

Purposes: Early recurrent ileocolic intussusception (RICI) is a rare event. We aimed to estimate the rate of RICI and identify predisposing factors for early recurrence for children treated in a tertiary-care academic medical center. Methods: Consecutive children who were diagnosed with ileocolic intussusception (ICI) during the years 2005–2015 and had successful enema reduction were included. Demographic, clinical, imaging, and laboratory data were recorded for analysis. Ultrasound and fluoroscopy images were reviewed. Early RICI was defined as recurrence within 48 h. Results: Two hundred forty-five episodes of intussusception in 210 patients, ages 2 to 77 months (mean 12.7), were included. Six patients (2.45%) had a RICI between 7 and 28 h (mean 17 h) after initial successful reduction. A total of 5/6 recurrences (83.3%) were in winter months. In the group without early recurrence, only 19.6% of the cases presented during the winter (p = 0.001). Mean age in the early recurrence group was 23 months compared to 12.4 months children with no early recurrence (p = 0.016). All other analyzed parameters were comparable for the groups. Conclusion: Early RICI is a relatively rare event that may not justify routine admission and long observation. The approach should be individual, based on the clinical picture.