[Experiences in the treatment of intestinal invagination in children].

Intussusception is one of the more common causes of an acute abdomen in infancy. There is discussion about the appropriate method of treatment, and especially about the criteria for hydrostatic reduction. To evaluate the effectiveness of treatment of patients with intussusception presenting at the Paediatric Surgical Centre in Amsterdam, a retrospective study was carried out. 84 Cases were seen between 1980-1990. Three quarters of the children were operated, one-third without prior barium enema. In half the cases an attempt at hydrostatic reduction was made, and this succeeded in only 43%. Ultrasound was only rarely used diagnostically. The literature shows that the use of air to attempt reduction is more likely to be effective and less likely to cause complications than barium.