“Learning from my experience”: Acute abdomen - Perforated Meckel's diverticulitis

Abstract

This is a case report documenting the risk in imaging misinterpretation of a pediatric patient that presented with an acute abdomen. Computed Tomography (CT) demonstrated an inflamed blind ending loop of bowel in the pelvis without an obvious cecal connection. The patient was taken to the operative theater, a normal appendix and perforated Meckel’s diverticulitis were resected. Meckel’s diverticulum is the most common small bowel abnormality and can have complications. We will emphasize that imaging studies in a pediatric patient with Meckel’s diverticulum are easily subject to errors radiologists make. This is such a cautionary and learning tale. Keywords: Meckel diverticulum, Meckel’s diverticulitis, Meckel, Perforation