Preoperative CT diagnosis of perforated Meckel's diverticulitis in a young patient: a case report.

OBJECTIVES

Meckel's diverticulum (MD) is a common asymptomatic congenital intestinal anomaly. Clinical manifestations of MD can occur in about 4 % of cases by the presentation of its complications, generally intestinal occlusion, bleeding, and diverticular inflammation. MD's complications are challenging preoperative diagnoses, as manifest with clinical symptoms that overlap with those of other acute non-traumatic abdominal diseases. Thus, in the emergency setting, abdominal computed tomography (CT) represents an essential tool for the correct diagnosis of complicated MD.

CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case of a preoperative CT diagnosis of perforated Meckel's diverticulitis in a young patient admitted to our Emergency Department complaining of acute abdominal pain.

CONCLUSIONS

The case highlights the importance of evaluating Meckel's diverticulum complications among the differential diagnoses of acute non-traumatic abdominal pain and the high sensitivity of CT in assessing their presence in the proper clinical setting.