Meckle’s Diverticulum in Patients with Acute Abdomen

Background: Meckle’s diverticulum is not a very common cause of acute abdomen, yet occasionally it manifests itself as a life threatening condition. We carried out this study to observe the varied clinical manifestations of Meckle’s diverticulum in patients with acute abdomen. Material and methods: This study was conducted in Agency Headquarter Hospital Wana and data collected from various surgical clinics. It was a prospective study conducted during four years form 2000-2003. All patients underwent laparotomy for signs and symptoms of acute abdomen. A total of 900 cases were studied. Of these (18 patients) 2% were found to have Meckle’s diverticulum. Results: Nine hundred patients of acute abdomen were studied. All were operated and the diagnosis confirmed by histopathologic examination. Eighteen patients (2%) were having Meckle’s diverticulum. Six patients (37.5%) were symptomatic. Twelve patients (62.5%) were having Meckle’s diverticulum with no signs of pathology. Of the symptomatic 6 patients, 2 patients (39%) presented with intestinal obstruction. Haemorrhage, perforation, diverticulitis, and Meckle’s diverticulum having ectopic mucosa were presented each in one patient (15%). Conclusion: Meckle’s Diverticulum is a rare cause of acute abdomen. It presents with obstruction in the pediatric age group and with perforation, heamorrahage and ectopic mucosa in adults. The symptoms caused by Meckle’s diverticulum are mainly due to bands or ectopic mucosa. Diverticulum found in patients less than 30 years age should be resected and in older patients resection is indicated if ectopic gastric tissue is suspected. Diverticular bands can simply be cut in these patients.