Meckel's diverticulum; a case diagnosed by x-ray.

Abstract

Meckel's diverticulum is one of the most frequently discussed, one of the least specifically diagnosed, and one the most surgically gratifying of all the abdominal lesions. Its incidence is low enough to remove it from the list of common causes of intestinal bleeding or bowel obstruction, except in children and adolescents. Gross 1 described 149 patients with Meckel's diverticulum upon whom surgery was performed. Nearly half were in the first two years of life, with a male-female ratio of 3:1. In this group the complications which arose did so early in life. His oldest patient was 14 years of age. Inversion with intussusception was common. His experience with roentgen diagnosis was so disappointing (only two showed a questionable lesion) that this procedure was completely abandoned. Massive hemorrhage was the chief complication occurring in 50 children. In this series the mucosa lining the pouch was gastric, ileal, colonic, pancreatic, duodenal, or