Adult intussusception as the initial presentation of celiac disease: a rare case report and literature review

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease rarely presenting as intestinal intussusception in less than 1% of all cases. We report a case of a 34-year-old female patient who presented with recurrent abdominal pain and vomiting for 7 months. Imaging revealed intestinal intussusception of 2 small bowel segments. The patient underwent upper endoscopy, colonoscopy, and a diagnostic exploratory laparotomy with excellent postoperative recovery. Pathological investigation of the intestinal biopsy revealed duodenal villous atrophy and intraepithelial lymphocytosis, highly suspecting the diagnosis of celiac disease, which was confirmed with the presence of anti-transglutaminase antibodies. This case emphasized a prime example of delayed celiac disease diagnosis attributed to the atypical and sole presentation of intestinal intussusception, an exceptionally rare co-occurrence.