Meckel's Diverticulum Mimicking Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract

AbstractIntermittent abdominal pain is the most common gastrointestinal (GI) complaint in the pediatric age group. When basic investigations and sonograms do not give etiological basis, functional GI disorders are diagnosed. Meckel's diverticulum (MD), being the common GI surgical condition, can be missed in absence of classical symptoms. Clinical presentation varies based on the size, location, and presence of ectopic gastric mucosa. We report a case of an adolescent female with MD presenting as chronic abdominal pain. Abdominal ultrasonogram was normal. Abnormal fecal calprotectin level and colonoscopy directed for a suspicion of inflammatory bowel disease. Persistence of symptoms with increasing severity prompted a relook into the diagnosis. The presence of intussusception on abdominal scan during one of the painful episodes warranted emergency exploratory laparotomy. Intraoperatively, the lead point for intussusception was identified as MD, which was resected. Postoperative period was uneventful. There are no abdominal symptoms since a year during the follow-up period.