Inverted Meckel diverticulum: clinical, radiologic, and pathologic findings.

PURPOSE: To determine the clinical, radiologic, and pathologic findings of inverted Meckel diverticulum by retrospectively reviewing a large series of cases.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Among 84 cases of Meckel diverticulum, 18 (21%) were found at surgery to be inverted into the lumen of the bowel. Thirteen of these 18 (72%) cases were associated with small bowel intussusception and five (28%) were not.

RESULTS

All 18 patients (median age at time of diagnosis, 32 years) were symptomatic, but the symptoms were subacute or chronic in 14 (78%). At barium examination in 15 cases, inverted diverticulum was depicted in 10 (67%) as a solitary, elongated, smoothly marginated, often club-shaped intraluminal mass in the distal ileum. At computed tomography (CT) in three cases, a central area of fat attenuation was surrounded by a thick collar of soft-tissue attenuation. At ultrasound (US) in two cases, a target-like mass contained a central area of increased echogenicity. At pathologic examination in all cases, the inverted sac contained mesenteric fat.

CONCLUSION

Inverted Meckel diverticulum occurs more commonly than previously recognized and is associated with characteristic findings at barium examination, CT, and US.