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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Multimodality Diagnosis of Mesenteric Ischemia

Multimodality Diagnosis of Mesenteric Ischemia

Published on: July 21, 2023

Meckel's scan: pitfall in patients with active small bowel bleeding.

Mark Tulchinsky¹

¹Section of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiology, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State University, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, USA. mtulchin@psu.edu

Clinical Nuclear Medicine

|November 23, 2006

Summary

A false-positive Meckel's scan can occur due to bleeding. Careful analysis of scan timing and tracer motility helps avoid misdiagnosis of Meckel diverticulum.

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Last Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Multimodality Diagnosis of Mesenteric Ischemia

Multimodality Diagnosis of Mesenteric Ischemia

Published on: July 21, 2023

Area of Science:

Nuclear Medicine
Gastroenterology
Diagnostic Imaging

Background:

Meckel's diverticulum is a common congenital anomaly that can cause gastrointestinal bleeding.
Meckel's scans using technetium-99m pertechnetate are standard for diagnosis.
Intermittent small bowel bleeding can present diagnostic challenges.

Observation:

A patient with intermittent small bowel bleeding exhibited a false-positive Meckel's scan.
The scan showed late focal activity mimicking a positive Meckel's diverticulum.
This activity was attributed to extravasated Tc-99m labeled red blood cells from a prior bleeding event.

Findings:

The false-positive Meckel's scan was identified by observing late tracer appearance relative to gastric uptake.
Delayed dynamic imaging demonstrated tracer motility consistent with peristalsis, indicating extravasation, not a diverticulum.
Capsule endoscopy confirmed an ileal bleeding ulcer as the source of symptoms.

Implications:

This case underscores the potential for false-positive Meckel's scans in bleeding patients.
Recognizing scan artifacts is crucial for accurate diagnosis and avoiding unnecessary surgery.
Integrating imaging findings with clinical presentation and further investigations like capsule endoscopy is vital.