The many faces of Meckel's diverticulum and its complications

Abstract

Meckel's diverticulum is the most frequent congenital malformation of the gastrointestinal tract, occurring in 2% of the general population. Meckel's diverticulum is usually asymptomatic and found incidentally. However, the lifetime risk of complications is 4-40%. In this essay, we describe the clinical and imaging findings in 12 cases of Meckel's diverticula with complications over a 5-year period, which were confirmed pathologically. The major complications of Meckel's diverticulum include gastrointestinal bleeding, bowel obstruction, perforation and inflammation. Small bowel follow-through (SBFT), computed tomography (CT) including CT enterography and RI scintigraphy can be used to show typical imaging features of Meckel's diverticulum and its complications. Knowledge of the clinical and radiologic findings of Meckel's diverticulum can aid in the early and accurate diagnosis of this anomaly and its complications.

“Learning from my experience”: Acute abdomen - Perforated Meckel's diverticulitis

“…Meckel’s diverticulum is present in approximately in 1–2% of the population [8,14]. Of the population that has a Meckel’s diverticulum only 2% develop complications.…”

Meckel's Diverticulum in Adults: Surgical Concerns

“…It was first described in 1809 by the German anatomist Johann Meckel (1). However, it was not until almost 100 years later that the understanding of MD increased with the discovery of ectopic gastric mucosa by Salzer and associated ileum ulceration by Deetz (2). Bleeding from a MD containing ectopic gastric mucosa is the most common clinical presentation in younger patients, but it is rare in adult patients.…”

Perforation of Meckel`s diverticulum in a very low birth weight neonate with severe pneumoperitoneum and review of literature

“…Meckel's diverticulum could be found incidentally or when causing various complications. 2 According to Cullen et al 8 , the lifetime risk of complications was estimated to be approximately 6.4%. Although patients born with MD could develop complications at any age, the dominate types differ between children and adults.…”

“…1 It is a true diverticulum consisting of all three layers of the normal bowel wall, and may contain ectopic tissues such as gastric, pancreatic, and duodenal mucosa. [2][3][4] The majority of patients with MD are asymptomatic, and those who develop complications could present with various manifestations. According to previous studies, the peak incidence of complicated MD was observed to be in childhood.…”