Post Traumatic Perforated Duodenal Diverticulum: A Case Report

Abstract

Duodenal diverticulosis is second only to the colon as the most common location for diverticula. Despite typically being asymptomatic, it can lead to severe complications such as perforation, hemorrhage, and acute diverticulitis. Diagnosing duodenal diverticulitis is challenging due to its non-distinctive presentation and similarity to other intraabdominal conditions in radiographic images. This paper examines a challenging case of duodenal diverticulitis with post-traumatic perforation in a 63-year-old patient, admitted post-traffic accident with an acute abdominal pain revealing duodenal diverticulum rupture as per abdominal CT scan. Despite the complications and a Grade II compression fracture of the L3 vertebra, the patient showed improvement under observation without necessitating surgery. The study highlights the diagnostic complexities of duodenal diverticulitis and the importance of abdominal CT scans in identifying this rare and often misdiagnosed condition.