Meckel's Diverticulum Presenting as Intestinal Subocclusion: A Case Report

Victor Hugo Garzón-Ortega, Luis Emilio Mendoza García, Edgar Eduardo Sordia- Marquez, Adrián Marcelo De la Garza Peña, Mariana Guadalupe López García and Sarah Michelle Carabeo Becerra

Departamento de Cirugía General, Christus Muguerza, Monterrey, Nuevo León, México Universidad de Monterrey (UDEM), Monterrey, Nuevo León, México Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Ciudad Universitaria, México City, México

^*Correspondance to: Victor Hugo Garzón-Ortega 

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Abstract:

Meckel’s diverticulum is the most common congenital anomaly of the gastrointestinal tract; however, symptomatic cases in adults are uncommon and often difficult to diagnose because of their nonspecific clinical presentation. We report the case of a 30-year-old woman who presented to the emergency department with an acute abdomen characterized by diffuse abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, abdominal distension, watery diarrhea, and leukocytosis with marked neutrophilia. Computed tomography demonstrated free intra-abdominal fluid and dilated small bowel loops with air-fluid levels suggestive of intestinal subocclusion; pelvic ultrasonography revealed no ovarian pathology. Diagnostic laparoscopy, initially performed for suspected acute appendicitis, revealed a complicated Meckel’s diverticulum with significant erythema, edema, and adjacent small bowel dilatation. The procedure was converted to minilaparotomy for surgical resection using a 75-mm linear stapling device; an incidental appendectomy was also performed. Histopathological examination confirmed a true diverticulum containing all layers of the intestinal wall, with acute and chronic inflammatory infiltrates within the lamina propria and focal areas of subepithelial hemorrhage. The postoperative course was uneventful (Clavien-Dindo grade I), and the patient was discharged on postoperative day four in stable condition with outpatient follow-up scheduled. This case highlights the diagnostic challenge of Meckel’s diverticulitis presenting as intestinal subocclusion and underscores the importance of maintaining a broad differential diagnosis in patients with acute abdomen. Surgical exploration serves as both a diagnostic and therapeutic modality, and timely intervention is associated with favorable outcomes.

Keywords:

Meckel’s diverticulum; Diverticulitis; Intestinal subocclusion; Acute abdomen; Laparoscopy; Case report

Cite the Article:

Garzón-Ortega VH, Mendoza García LE, Sordia-Marquez EE, De la Garza Peña AM, López García MG, Carabeo Becerra SM. Meckel's Diverticulum Presenting as Intestinal Subocclusion: A Case Report. World J Surg Surgical Res. 2026; 9: 1627..