Prophylactic Operative Procedures and Recurrence Rates in Pediatric Intussusception at Herat Regional Hospital

Objectives: Intussusception is a common pediatric emergency. The role of specific operative procedures to prevent its recurrence remains a subject of clinical debate, particularly in resource-limited settings where data is scarce. This study aims to analyze the outcomes of different surgical management strategies for pediatric intussusception at Herat Regional Hospital. Methods: This study is conducted as a retrospective study of pediatric patients treated for intussusception between May 2022 and March 2023 at Herat Regional Hospital. Data on demographics, clinical presentation, laboratory findings, operative procedures, and outcomes were extracted from patient records. The examind outcome was reopening. Statistical analysis, including Chi-square and T-tests, was used to compare factors between recurrent and non-recurrent groups. Results: Sixty-three patients were included (male 70.9%; mean age 30.5 ± 35.2 months). Ileo-colic intussusception predominated (69.0%). Prophylactic methods with reduction was the commonest procedure (39.7%). Eight children (12.7%) returned electively for the planned second stage of a two-step operation; none represented treatment failure. True recurrence occurred in only two patients (3.2%). Overall mortality was 6.3%. Conclusion: In this study, true intussusception recurrence was only 3.2% (2 / 63) after primary surgery. Prophylactic maneuvers—such as ileocecal angle tightening or cecopexy—showed superiority in preventing recurrence. Accordingly, additional steps beyond simple reduction should be selective and dictated by intra-operative findings rather than routine practice.