[Intestinal invagination in children in the county of Hordaland 1983-92].
The incidence of intussusception was examined with respect to whether children lived in the city of Bergen, where pediatricians were the primary contacts in 45% of the cases, or in the remaining municipalities where pediatricians were the primary contacts in 18%. Diagnosis and course of illness were compared for children admitted by pediatricians and general practitioners. Information was retrieved from hospital medical records. During 1983-92, 142 children 0 to 14 years were given the diagnosis on basis of barium enema (139 children) or surgery (three children). The incidence was 1.8 per 1,000 children per year for Bergen vs. 1.4 in the rest of the county (p = 0.3). Children admitted by pediatricians more often had the correct referral diagnosis (70% vs. 42%, p = 0.003), but they did not differ with respect to median age (8 months for both), median duration of symptoms (12 vs. 24 hours), percent in need of surgery (58% vs. 59%) or in symptoms. The lack of difference in incidence between Bergen and the more distant municipalities suggests that spontanous resolution of intussusception is uncommon. Although pediatricians more often admitted the children with the correct diagnosis, duration of symptoms and outcome did not differ from those admitted by general practitioners. This suggests that the general practitioners also appreciated the urgency of the symptoms.