Intraoperative Incidental Finding of Meckel's Diverticulum: A Report of Two Cases

Meckel's diverticulum (MD), a prevalent congenital gastrointestinal anomaly affecting about 2% of the population, arises from the incomplete closure of the vitelline duct. It encompasses all layers of the small intestine and can lead to various complications like obstruction, hemorrhage, and perforation. When symptomatic, it presents challenges in diagnosis due to the low sensitivity of imaging techniques. Comprehensive understanding and accurate diagnosis are crucial for managing the complications associated with MD and forming the scientific rationale for publishing this case report. We present two cases, one of them being the case of a 73-year-old male who presented for an ileostomy closure procedure. Intra-operatively, a 4.5 cm diverticulum was identified 10 cm from the stomatal opening on the efferent limb. This finding led to segmental resection of the intestines. Later, pathology was compatible with MD, which didn't contain any malignant cells or heterotopic tissue. The second case was that of a 40-year-old female who presented for severe abdominal pain, abdominal distention, and obstipation for two days. Radiographic imaging was suspicious of a foreign object compatible with fish bone with local inflammation in the small bowel. Laparoscopic exploration showed an inflamed MD with fish bone lodged inside. In front of an incidental MD, the decision to resect is still controversial. Those who are against resection of uncomplicated believe that complications from resecting an uncomplicated MD are higher than the complications that arise if resection is not performed. Those who support resection say that the complications that arise following the resection of a complicated MD are worse than those after resecting an incidental one. Criteria have been put in place to help guide the decision for resection.