Intussusception in the elderly.
We present the case of an 82-year-old Caucasian lady with a 16-day history of colicky lower abdominal pain and reduced appetite. When presenting to hospital she was haemodynamically stable with no fever. Examination revealed a soft but tender abdomen with normal bowel sounds. No masses or hernias were present. Per-rectal examination revealed an empty rectum. Investigations showed raised inflammatory markers, white cell count 11.9 and C reactive protein 24, in addition to which she had dilated loops of small and large bowel on the abdominal radiograph. The patient underwent an emergency laparotomy where a mass in the descending colon was found to be intussuscepting into the proximal sigmoid colon for which a Hartmanns procedure was performed. Histopathology confirmed a Dukes B T3 N0 Mx adenocarcinoma.
Department of General Surgery, East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, UK. daryl.subra@googlemail.com
Daryl
D
Subramaniam
Nicholas
N
Culshaw
Fiona
F
Langlands
Lesley
L
Apthorp
D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology; D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007443:Intussusception / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed