Endoscopic diagnosis of bleeding Meckel's diverticulum in a multivisceral transplant recipient

Small bowel transplantation has become a life-saving procedure for patients with intestinal failure who fail conventional therapy. Meckel's diverticulum is a rare cause of occult gastrointestinal bleeding that has not been reported in patients receiving intestinal allografts. We report a case in which transplantation of an asymptomatic Meckel's diverticulum as part of a multivisceral allograft led to intestinal bleeding requiring surgical intervention. Endoscopy identified the actual bleeding diverticulum. Diverticulectomy at the time of transplant was not performed due to the difficult operative course, and the need for frequent surveillance ileoscopy, which would be performed across a fresh intestinal anastomosis. The patient underwent resection of the diverticulum, along with 40 cm of ileum, and did not experience further bleeding.