Ability of pediatric physicians to judge the likelihood of intussusception.

Background: Intussusception is the most common cause of intestinal obstruction in infants and children. To date, no study has evaluated the ability of physicians to predict the likelihood of intussusception.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the ability of pediatric physicians to predict intussusception in patients being evaluated for intussusception and to investigate whether certain clinical findings correlate with physicians' risk assessment.

Risk stratification of children being evaluated for intussusception.

Context: Intussusception is the most common cause of intestinal obstruction in young children, and delayed diagnosis may lead to bowel perforation.

Objective: To determine predictive clinical criteria and develop a decision tree to risk-stratify children with possible intussusception.

Design/methods: This is a prospective observational cohort study of children aged 1 month to 6 years who presented with possible intussusception.