Strangulated bowel obstruction and torsion of Meckel’s diverticulum: case report

Abstract

Meckel's diverticulum is the congenital anomaly of gastrointestinal tract. The frequency of its occurrence is about 1 - 3%. There are various complications associated with diverticulum, including hemorrhage, intestinal obstruction, inflammation and perforation. Intestinal obstruction is the most common complication in adult. The Aim of the work is demonstration of the case of strangulated bowel obstruction combined with the torsion of Meckel's diverticulum. The female 27 years old was admitted to the surgical department urgently with nausea, vomiting, cramping abdominal pain. The obtained results of the examination were evaluated as acute small bowel obstruction. An emergency surgery was performed - exploratory laparotomy. It was detected: axial torsion of Meckel's diverticulum followed by gangrene, its topside was attached to the dorsal peritoneum by retained fibrous vitelline band. This diverticulum also formed a loop which caused strangulation of the small intestine. The correct diagnosis of Meckel's diverticulum before surgery is generally impossible, because complicated diverticulum imitates many other abdominal pathologies. The torsion of the Meckel's diverticulum is one of the rare complications. In our case, one patient encountered two complications of the Meckel's diverticulum: its torsion with gangrene and acute intestinal obstruction. Exploratory laparotomy is a mandatory procedure for the detection of complicated Meckel's diverticulum and correct treatment.