A Pediatric Case of Inverted Meckel’s Diverticulum Presenting with Cyclic Vomiting-like Symptoms: A Case Report and Literature Review

Abstract

Asymptomatic Meckel’s diverticulum cases are not uncommon, leading to diagnostic difficulties in cases of atypical presentations with only gastrointestinal symptoms other than bloody stool. A nine-year-old boy diagnosed as having cyclic vomiting because of recurrent abdominal pain and vomiting for 6 months was referred to our institute and hospitalized due to worsening symptoms. After admission, abdominal ultrasonography showed the multiple concentric ring sign and a pseudokidney sign at the lower ileum, leading to the diagnosis of ileo-ileal intussusception, but the gastrointestinal symptoms and ultrasonic findings disappeared spontaneously. Transanal, double-balloon, intestinal endoscopy demonstrated a pedunculated polyp-like structure, and surgical resection was performed. An inverted diverticulum was found in the resected intestinal lumen, and ectopic gastric mucosa was identified histologically, leading to the diagnosis of inverted Meckel’s diverticulum. In pediatric cases involving periodic attacks of vomiting and abdominal pain, unnecessary emergent surgery could be avoided by cautious imaging evaluation and consideration of ileo-ileal intussusception with advanced lesions of an inverted Meckel’s diverticulum as a differential diagnosis, without facilely diagnosing cyclic vomiting. In addition, previous reports of inverted Meckel’s diverticulum were reviewed, and the results were compared between adult and pediatric groups in each category.