Which condition presents with a sausage-shaped abdominal mass?

• A. Pyloric stenosis
• B. Intussusception
• C. Appendicitis
• D. Cholecystitis

Answer: (B)

A sausage-shaped abdominal mass signals intussusception, where one loop of bowel slides into another, creating a telescoped segment. This causes intermittent, severe colicky pain as the bowel twists and becomes edematous, and a palpable mass can be felt in the mid abdomen or right upper quadrant. Infants may cry episodes and then draw their knees to the chest, with vomiting and sometimes currant jelly stools from mucosal bleeding. Ultrasound often shows a target or doughnut sign, and treatment aims to gently reduce the telescoped segment with an enema if the child is stable; surgery is needed if nonoperative reduction fails or if there are signs of perforation or peritonitis. Other conditions don’t typically produce this distinctive palpable mass: pyloric stenosis presents with an olive-shaped mass in the epigastrium and projectile vomiting, while appendicitis and cholecystitis cause localized pain and systemic signs without a sausage-shaped abdominal mass.