Bilateral peritonsillar abscess-developed ruptured Meckel's diverticulum: A case report

Abstract

Peritonsillar abscess (PTA) is an accumulation of pus between the fibrous capsule of the palatine tonsils and the superior pharyngeal constrictor muscle. Bilateral PTA (BPTA) is a rare disease. Meckel's diverticulum (MD) is a congenital abnormality of the distal ileum associated with failed vitelline duct closure. Spontaneous MD rupture during the management of PTA never happened before. In this article, the authors present a case of BPTA-developed MD rupture. We present a case involving an 18-year-old male who presented to the emergency department (ED) for a 2-day history of worsening sore throat, trismus, fever, and odynophagia; a diagnosis of bilateral severe PTA was made. During the management of the BPTA, the patient developed severe acute abdominal pain which was diagnosed later as a case of MD rupture. In ED, the patient underwent computerized tomography (CT) scan of the neck that showed bilateral hypodense masses, consistent with BPTA. Conservative management was started on IV antibiotics, IV fluids, and IV analgesia at the time of diagnosis in the ED. The patient then underwent two attempts of needle aspiration using 18-gauge needles that showed evidence of aspirated pus. Later on, the patient developed severe abdominal pain, which is evaluated by the general surgery department (GS), and underwent ultrasonography (US) and CT scan; then, the diagnosis of rupture MD was made. The patient underwent diagnostic laparoscopy performed by the GS team and improved thereafter. In this article, the authors present a case of BPTA-developed MD rupture.