Ruptured Meckel diverticulum mimicking mucositis in a patient receiving induction therapy for high-risk acute...

A Meckel diverticulum is an embryonic remnant of the vitellointestinal duct. It is present in approximately 2% of the population and is estimated to cause symptoms<5% of the time. It generally results in painless bleeding or abdominal pain. Rarely, it can rupture, resulting in peritonitis and gram-negative sepsis. We present the case of a 17-year-old male who ruptured his Meckel diverticulum 23 days after the beginning of induction chemotherapy for high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia. We postulate that gastritis caused by dexamethasone, mucositis caused by doxorubicin, and the unique anatomic nature of a Meckel diverticulum may have contributed to this extremely unlikely and previously unreported event.