Intussusception in the adult.

Intussusception in the adult is an uncommon cause of intestinal obstruction. Seventeen cases were seen at two teaching hospitals over a twenty-year period. A local causative lesion was present in all cases; a malignant tumour was present in two out of seven intussusceptions arising in the small intestine and in seven out of ten arising in the large intestine. More than half the cases had a protracted clinical course prior to diagnosis.