Papillary lymphoid hyperplasia of the terminal ileum: an unusual cause of intussusception and gastrointestinal bleeding in childhood.

Papillary lymphoid hyperplasia of the terminal ileum is a benign condition associated with abdominal pain, intussusception, and gastrointestinal hemorrhage. It appears to represent a distinct clinicopathologic entity, separate from the usual idiopathic intussusception of infancy and childhood. The lesions are reasonably well circumscribed, localized in the submucosa of the terminal ileum, and composed of lymphoid tissue with prominent germinal follicles. Management by ileocolectomy resulted in complete cure with no postoperative complications in our six cases. However, many authors recommend conservative therapy. The cause is not known but there may be some relationship between these cases and intestinal adenovirus infection.