East African medical journal
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A retrospective study of 69 cases of intussusception treated at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, in the past seven years from October 1985 to September 1992 is presented. The diagnosis was made clinically and confirmed at operation. Fifty (72.5%) of the 69 patients belonged to the three to nine-month age group. ⋯ Of the 35 patients who required resection, 27 (77.1%) had gangrenous bowel and 2 (2.8%) had perforation. Mortality was 11.6%. The high mortality rate appears to be related to the long interval between onset of symptoms and commencement of definitive treatment.
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Sixty six cases of intussusception were admitted to ESCH, Addis Ababa over a 10 year period. Males dominated in the series. Age distribution showed that 69.7% of the cases were < or = 1 year old, and 85% were < or = 2 years old. ⋯ An underlying intestinal pathology was found in two cases only. The mortality was high probably because the majority of cases presented late for medical attention. The need for early medical advice, diagnosis and intervention should reduce the mortality.