Objective: To clarify the clinical features and pathogenesis of intussusception in neonates.
Methods: Fourteen neonates were diagnosed with intussusception between June 1974 and January 2001. Patients were divided into two groups according to whether or not signs were present on the first day of life. The clinical features were interrelated with the pathological findings.
Results: All six patients in the group whose signs were present on the first day of life also had intestinal atresia or malrotation. Among patients whose signs began less than 24 h after birth, five of eight patients suffered hypoxia. Moreover, it was very difficult to establish the diagnosis of intussusception, particularly in the group of late-onset type intussusception.
Conclusions: Hypoxic events may play a crucial aetiologic role in the pathogenesis of late-onset neonatal intussusception.