Definition of "intussusception" [in•tus•sus•cep•tion]

• Medicine Invagination, especially an infolding of one part of the intestine into another. (noun)
• Biology Assimilation of new substances into the existing components of living tissue. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "It, too, found no difference in intussusception rates, but it only observed side effects for 42 days, less than half the time the other study devoted to following adverse effects."
• "However, it was quickly withdrawn from the market when otherwise healthy babies began to develop a condition known as intussusception."
• "That vaccine was linked to an increased rate of intussusception, which is a twisting or obstruction of the intestine that can be fatal."