[Complicated Meckel diverticula: about 15 cases].

We conducted a retrospective study of 15 patients with complicated Meckel diverticula treated in the emergency surgery at the Aristide Le Dantec Hospital, Dakar, over a period of 13 years (January 2003-June 2016). The study included 10 men and 5 women, whose average age was 27.8 years, ranging between 1 months and 73 years. The two main circumstances of detection were occlusive syndrome and peritoneal irritation. Emergency laparotomy allowed clinicians to affirm the involvement of Meckel diverticulum in the clinical picture. In the case of occlusion, the mechanism was always a flange. Ten patients had intestinal necrosis with perforation at the time of diagnosis. All 15 patients underwent segmental resection of the intestine with elimination of the diverticulum. This resection was followed by immediate anastomosis in 12 cases. The morbidity was constituted of 2 cases of fistulas and 2 cases of postoperative peritonitis. A case of death due to septic shock was reported. Three patients had heterotopic mucosa, including gastric heterotopia, colic heterotopia and an association between colic heterotopia and gastric heterotopia in the same patient. The complications of Meckel diverticula are digestive emergencies requiring early and adapted surgical treatment. This is characterized by a non-negligible morbidity.