Air reduction for intussusception in infancy and childhood: ultrasonographic diagnosis and management without X-ray exposure.

For the treatment of uncomplicated intussusception in infants and children, we attempted air reduction without x-ray study to avoid the genetic and carcinogenic effects of radiation. Intussusception could generally be diagnosed by ultrasonography in addition to the history and typical clinical signs without using a barium enema. The success of reduction could also be safely evaluated from the disappearance of both the characteristic sonographic target sign and the abdominal palpable mass, and improvement in the general condition 2 or 3 hours after completing this procedure. This simple, cheap and clean reduction method was applied to 127 patients under strict indications and sedation with diazepam. The successful reduction rate was high (90.6%) and equal to that by hydrostatic reduction. Accordingly, this procedure appears to be safely applicable to the management of uncomplicated intussusception in infancy and childhood.