Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Case Report
Abstract: Introduction: As an osmotic laxative, lactulose offers superior palatability and comparable bowel-cleansing efficacy to PEG, making it suitable for resource-limited settings, but its hypertonicity may potentially increase the risk of intussusception in susceptible individuals (such as children with intestinal polyps). Case Presentation: This first reported case describes a 2-year-old boy with intermittent hematochezia who developed acute descending colonic intussusception confirmed by CT within hours of receiving lactulose (20 mL) for bowel preparation. Laparoscopic reduction and subsequent colonoscopy identified a large pedunculated juvenile polyp (25 × 28 mm) as the pathological lead point, which was endoscopically resected. The temporal link between lactulose administration and symptom onset, combined with its known pharmacological effects, strongly suggests lactulose-induced hyperperistalsis precipitated intussusception by mechanically displacing the occult polyp. Conclusion: This highlights a novel risk of osmotic laxatives in children with undiagnosed intestinal polyp.
Source: Case Reports in Gastroenterology
DOI: 10.1159/000547462
Authors: Haizhi Tan, Xiaobing Xiao, Taotao Zhang, Shuyan Li
Institution: Yue Bei People's Hospital
Language: English
Subfield: Surgery
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,030
OpenAlex ID: W4415027278