Intussusception Presenting as Intestinal Obstruction in Pregnancy: A Case Report from a Tertiary Hospital in Ghana

There is paucity of scientific data on intussusception in pregnancy globally which makes it a rare clinical occurrence. The symptoms in pregnancy may mimic obstetric conditions and thus presents a diagnostic dilemma to clinicians. A high index of suspicion is therefore needed in order to establish a preoperative diagnosis. We present a 29-year old woman, gravida 5 para 4, 2 alive and 2 dead (G5P42A+2D) at 23-weeks’ 6 days gestation from northern Ghana, who was referred to Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) as a case of acute abdomen. Initial clinical assessment and bedside ultrasonography led to a diagnosis of intussusception. A viable colo-colic intussusception was found on open laparotomy and a left hemicolectomy was performed. This was confirmed by histopathological examination of the resected bowel. There was no identifiable lead point. This case report illustrates how good and prompt initial clinical assessment supported with imaging led to a successful outcome of acute abdomen in pregnancy in a low – middle resource country.