Meckel Diverticulum
Meckel diverticulum is a congenital anomaly that occurs due to failure of involution of the vitelline duct, which connects the developing gut to the yolk sac. It lies on the antimesenteric side of the bowel and is a true diverticulum as it contains all three layers of the bowel wall. Clinical features include; painless severe hemorrhage, chronic peptic ulceration, diverticulitis, intussusception, and intestinal obstruction. Remember the rule of "2" for the Meckel diverticulum: - 2 inches long - 2 feet from the ileocecal valve - Occurs in 2% of population - 2% of the cases are symptomatic - Contains 2 types of ectopic tissue (pancreatic and gastric tissue) Diagnosis is confirmed by Technetium-99m pertechnetate scan, which is the investigation of choice. Treatment includes surgical excision of the diverticulum.
