Case Report - Intussusception caused by an inverted Meckel’s diverticulum: A rare cause of small bowel obstruction in adults

Abstract

Adult intussusception due to Meckel’s diverticulum is an uncommon cause of intestinal obstruction. However, the surgeon should still be suspicious of this condition since the non specific symptoms and the rarity of it make a preoperative diagnosis uncertain. Considering the secondary nature of adult intussusception and the necessity of early surgical intervention to avoid morbidity and mortality, we report one case of intussusception due to Meckel’s diverticulum in an adult. A 22-year-old patient was admitted to our hospital with vomiting and abdominal pain. The abdomen was hard with tenderness. We diagnosed an acute small bowel obstruction and performed emergency surgery. The intra operative findings were distention of the small bowel and intussusception of ileus due to an inverted Meckel’s diverticulum located 70 cm from the ileocecal valve. 30 cm ischemic loop was identified. A segmental small bowel resection and hand-sewn anastomosis was performed. Histopathology distinguished Meckel’s diverticulum measuring 5 cm x 3.5 cm x 1 cm and no signs of malignancy.