Portal venous gas and cardiopulmonary arrest during pneumatic reduction of an ileocolic intussusception

We present the case of an 8-month-old infant with a small bowel obstruction secondary to an ileocolic intussusception without a pathologic lead point. During pneumatic reduction, the patient went into cardiopulmonary arrest, at which point portal venous gas (PVG) was visualized on radiography. Here we present-to our knowledge-the first reported case of PVG secondary to pneumatic reduction of an intussusception along with a review of the literature regarding known complications of pneumatic reduction and the etiologies of PVG.