Ileal Lipoma: A Rare Lead Point for Adult Ileocolic Intussusception

Abstract

Intussusception is the telescoping of a segment of the gastrointestinal tract within the lumen of an adjacent segment. Adult intussusceptions are rare, with ileal lipoma responsible for only 6% of cases. Clinically, adult intussusception remains an elusive diagnosis. The triad of abdominal pain, vomiting and passage of bloody stool is not frequently seen in adults. Abdominal computed tomography is the gold standard for identifying ileal lipoma as the lead point of an adult intussusception. Definitive management is by surgical excision of the involved segment. This is a case report of a 38-year-old female with intussusception with a 5-cm subserosal ileal lipoma as the lead point. This is the first (to the best of our knowledge) reported case of adult intussusception caused by ileal lipoma in Africa.

Keywords

• intussusception
• ileal
• lipoma
• subserosal
• intestinal obstruction
• adult