Atypical characteristics of a group of children with intussusception.

We describe the characteristics of a group of 140 children with intussusception. They differed strikingly from the classical picture of intussusception given in textbooks and in publications concerning large series. We found a low incidence of intussusception especially in infants and young children. There were far more children of older ages, the delay in diagnosis was significantly longer and there was a very high percentage of leading points. These factors explained our low hydrostatic reduction rate. The weight of most children was under the fiftieth percentile. The percentage of small bowel intussusceptions was somewhat higher. These differences are important in the light of early diagnosis and evaluating the results of treatment.