Purpose: To assess the diagnostic usefulness of ultrasonography (US) in intussusception in children and determine whether color Doppler sonography (CDS) can indicate bowel viability and help in prediction of reducibility.
Materials and methods: US was used to examine 176 children in whom the presence of intussusception was clinically suspected. CDS was performed in 64 patients with 65 cases of intussusception proved with US.
Results: The positive US findings were confirmed with air enema; the negative findings, with air enema in 46 patients and clinical follow-up in 66 patients (100% specificity and sensitivity). CDS indicated blood flow in 62 of 65 cases of intussusception; pneumatic reduction was achieved in 58 (94%) of these 62 cases. Four patients (6%) underwent manual reduction of viable bowel; three patients (5%) who had no color Doppler signal underwent segmental resection. The difference in reduction rates based on blood flow was statistically significant (P = .0008).
Conclusion: US is sensitive and specific in the diagnosis of intussusception, and CDS is a promising predictor of bowel viability.