Abstract
Background: Intussusception is one of the most commonly encountered abdominal emergencies in children for which the preferred treatment modality has always been non operative hydrostatic reduction. Recurrence is a common concern after a successful hydrostatic reduction. Adjuvant treatment with pharmacological agents have been considered to reduce chances of recurrence.
Aim: The study was conducted to examine the role of dexamethasone in decreasing early recurrent intussusception.
Materials and methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted in a tertiary care center from June 2018- June 2022 on 51 pediatric patients, admitted with intussusception and divided into a dexamethasone and non-dexamethasone group. Data was collected regarding demography, rate of recurrences, duration of hospital stay, surgery performed if any including the intraoperative findings and associated complications. The level of significance was set at 5%. SPSS version 27 was used to perform the statistical analysis.
Result: After ultrasound-guided hydrostatic reduction, the dexamethasone group showed significant reduction in recurrence, compared to the non-dexamethasone group. In this study, 7 cases showed recurrence despite three attempts of hydrostatic reduction and intraoperatively noted to have a pathological lead point.
Conclusion: Dexamethasone is one of the greatest discoveries of the 20th century with its vast use in multiple diseases. The use of dexamethasone during hydrostatic reduction of intussusception in a pediatric population makes it a wonderful drug with remarkable results and patient outcome.