Purpose or Case Report: Postoperative intussusception is a rare complication with a reported rate of 0.01-0.25% in children following laparotomy, accounting for 5-10% of postoperative bowel obstruction. We present a case of a 6-month-old infant with increasing abdominal fullness over several weeks who was found to have a large left renal mass. Following surgical resection of an atypical cellular form of Congenital Mesoblastic Nephroma, the patient developed abdominal distension and was presumed to have a postoperative ileus. Due to unexplained persistent hypertension following surgery, MR Angiogram of the Abdomen was performed to evaluate the renal arteries. On this MR exam, a right lower quadrant ileocolic intussusception was identified. Air enema intussusception reduction attempt was unsuccessful, and laparotomy was performed with successful reduction. We review the literature on pediatric postoperative intussusception including the variety of initial surgical operations, clinical symptoms, intussusception type, treatment, and patient outcomes.
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Conclusions: Intussusception is a rare but important complication to recognize following surgery in children, usually presenting with atypical symptoms, and should be considered in cases with postoperative bowel obstruction.