Objective To investigate the value of the multi-detector row spiral CT (MDCT) and 3-dimensional reconstruction technique for adult intussusception. Methods Twenty-one patients with surgically and clinical following-up confirmed intussusception were retrospectively included into this study. Three patients had plain MDCT scan, 18 received contrast enhanced MDCT scan. The original images were reconstructed with multi-planar reconstruction (MPR) technique and all the images of 21 patients were divided into original image group and original image add MPR image group. Two abdominal radiologists analyzed the MDCT imaging and recorded respectively the accuracy rate and the confidence index of the doctor about following indexes: whether or not having intussusception, the location of intussusception, finding reason caused intussusception, whether or not having bowel wall ischemia and whether or not having bowel obstruction. The accuracy rate and the confidence index of the doctor were compared using a SPSS statistics software. Results The accuracy rates about above indexes between original image group and original image add MPR image group were 90.5% (19/21) vs. 100% (21/21), 81.0% (17/21) vs. 95.2% (20/21), 85.7% (18/21) vs. 90.5% (19/21), 90.9% (10/11) vs. 90.9% (10/11) and 100% (11/11) vs. 100% (11/11) respectively, and there was no significant difference between original image group and original image add MPR image group (Pgt;0.05). For following indexes: whether or not having intussusception, the location of intussusception, finding reason caused intussusception, the confidence index of the doctor between original image add MPR image group and original image group had significant difference (5.00 vs. 4.24, 4.76 vs. 4.29, 4.29 vs. 3.71), and the confidence index of the doctor of original image add MPR image group exceeded that of original image group (Plt;0.05). Conclusions MDCT plays a valuable role in diagnosis and location of intussusception, finding the reason caused intussusception and evaluation the hemodynamic impairment of being involved in bowel wall. Compared to simple axial image, axial image combine 3-dimensional reconstructed image can increase the diagnostic confidence of the doctor.