Unusual presentation of obscure Meckel diverticulum treated with robot-assisted diverticulectomy: A case report

Medicine (Baltimore). 2016 Oct;95(41):e5159. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000005159.

Abstract

Introduction: Meckel diverticulum (MD) is the most common congenital abnormality of gastrointestinal tract. Tough believed to occur in 2% of population, most of them remain veiled because majority are clinically asymptomatic and remain obscure in radiological examination.

Clinical findings and diagnosis: A 26-year-old male with episodic black colored stool since last 10 years. Tough symptomatic, diagnosis of pathological lesion, and the bleeding site could not be established with any of the sophisticated diagnostic technique. After 10 years, it was finally diagnosed as MD with careful observation of bowel loops on computed tomography enterography (CTE) where remnant of vitelline vessel and hyper-enhancing nodule are seen along the wall of diverticular loop.

Interventions and outcomes: The patient underwent robot assisted laparoscopic surgery with excision of diverticular loop. To the best of our knowledge, this robot-assistant Meckel diverculectomy is probably the first reported surgical procedure in PubMed. Follow-up for 3 month showed no complication or recurrence.

Conclusion: Every case is unique and we must be aware and remain alert in tracing the possible morphological variation of the case. Here, we present one unique but rare feature of MD, which helped us in making diagnosis.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Video-Audio Media

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Capsule Endoscopy
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Humans
  • Ileum / diagnostic imaging
  • Ileum / surgery*
  • Laparotomy / methods*
  • Male
  • Meckel Diverticulum / diagnosis
  • Meckel Diverticulum / surgery*
  • Positron-Emission Tomography
  • Robotics*
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed