Ascaris Lumbricoides Causing Colo-Colic Intussusception in A Child - A Rare Case

Abstract

Intussusception is the commonest cause of emergency abdominal surgery in infants globally. It is the telescoping of bowel into another portion of bowel. Most intussusceptions are ileo-colic and idiopathic in origin, with exceptional causes being Meckel's diverticulum, intestinal polyps, and lymphomas. Affected infants often present with intermittent inconsolable crying, reflex vomiting, and passage of red currant jelly-like stool. Here, we present a rare case of colo-colic intussusception with a clump of roundworms serving as the pathological lead point in an older child in Sub-Saharan Africa. A laparotomy was performed, and a stoma was fashioned at the site of obstruction after milking out the clumps of worms. The case highlights that parasitic infection, which is faeco-orally transmitted, can be a cause of a surgical abdomen with its attending problems. This serves to raise awareness of this rare cause among health care providers and the importance of preventive health, with a focus on adequate hygiene, proper sanitation, and appropriate sewage disposal, as well as prompt and proper treatment of ascariasis in the Tropics.