Intussusception-associated hospitalisations in Southern Germany

The primary objective of this epidemiological surveillance study was to estimate the incidence of intussusception (IS) associated with hospitalisation in children < 1, < 2 and < 17 years of age in Germany. We analysed primary and secondary ICD-10 discharge diagnoses for IS (K56.1) and procedure codes for desinvagination from 28 paediatric hospitals in Bavaria, Germany, to identify children hospitalised in 2005 or 2006 due to IS. A total of 518 children with an ICD-10 code for IS were reported: 123 (23.7%) of the children were < 1 year of age, 267 (51.5%) were 1-3 years old and 128 (24.8%) older than 3 years of age. IS was the primary ICD-10 diagnosis in 382 (74%) children, including 231 (60%) children with a procedure code for desinvagination. In 136 (26%) children, IS was reported as a secondary ICD-10 diagnosis, including 38 (28%) with a desinvagination procedure code. The yearly incidence of IS in children < 1 year of age was estimated as 72/100,000 overall and as 43/100,000 for those with an additional procedural code for desinvagination. Patients solely with an ICD-10 code for IS are often suspected cases, based on clinical presentation. The combination of the ICD-10 code for IS and a procedure code for desinvagination provides a more specific and clinically relevant case definition, thereby offering a useful tool for long-term surveillance of the incidence of IS.