Idiopathic intussusception in an adult—an imageguided diagnosis

A 22-year-old female with no significant past medical history presented with a short history of sudden onset, central abdominal pain. She was investigated with ultrasound scan of her abdomen, which showed a “lumen in lumen” appearance of the small bowel suggestive of intussusception. Subsequent CT scan of the abdomen confirmed the diagnosis with characteristic appearances of “target” sign and “reniform” mass confirming intussusception and suggestive of consequent bowel ischaemia. She went on to have an emergency laparotomy and right hemicolectomy. No lead points were identified intraoperatively and histopathology results showed no benign or malignant tumours and no polyps in the bowel lumen. She recovered well postoperatively and was discharged. Diagnosing intussusception in adults can be challenging and this case discusses the different imaging modalities that can be used in diagnosis with images of associated pathognomonic signs.