Diverticulum

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to an endoscopic surgical instrument and methods for performing a diverticulum treatment. The surgical instrument includes a handle assembly, an elongated member and a jaw assembly. The elongated member is operably coupled to the distal end of the handle assembly, while the jaw assembly is operably coupled to a distal end of the elongated member. The jaw assembly includes a knife slot that is defined therewithin and is adapted to receive a knife blade to thereby cut tissue that is disposed between the jaw assembly. The jaw assembly is configured to approximate an esophageal tract and a diverticulum.

Abstract: Meckel diverticulum is a congenital, intestinal blind pouch that results from an incomplete obliteration of the vitelline duct during the fifth week of gestation. Wilhelm Fabricius Hildanus, a German surgeon, first described the diverticulum in 1598.1,2 However, the entity was not named until 1809, when Johann Friedrich Meckel the Younger first reported his research on the diverticulum's anatomy and embryology.3,4 Furthermore, Meckel showed that incomplete obliteration of the vitelline duct results in not only Meckel diverticulum but also enterocysts, intestinal-umbilical fistulas, and mesodiverticular bands. During the past 10 years, more than 1600 articles have been published on Meckel diverticulum (according to a PubMed search for “Meckel Diverticulum” from 1992–2002). Because of the rare incidence of Meckel diverticulum, most publications have been either small series or case reports. Various conclusions (such as the age-sex distribution, most common clinical presentation, and percentage of ectopic tissue in a symptomatic Meckel diverticulum) have been reported from these limited series.5–10 Our objective was to report the Mayo Clinic experience with Meckel diverticulum and determine which diverticula should be removed if discovered as an incidental finding.

Abstract: Copyright © 2007 Massachusetts Medical Society. A previously healthy 45-year-old man presents with severe lower abdominal pain on the left side, which started 36 hours earlier. He has noticed mild, periodic discomfort in this region before but has not sought medical treatment. He reports nausea, anorexia, and vomiting associated with any oral intake. On physical examination, his temperature is 38.5°C and his heart rate is 110 beats per minute. He has abdominal tenderness on the left side without peritoneal signs. How should his case be managed?

Abstract: Meckel's diverticulum is the most common congenital malformation of gastrointestinal tract. It can cause complications in the form of ulceration, haemorrhage, intussusception, intestinal obstruction, perforation and, very rarely, vesicodiverticular fistulae and tumours. These complications, especially bleeding, are more common in the paediatric age group than in adults; however it is not uncommon to miss the diagnosis of Meckel's diverticulum in adults. Here, we reviewed the literature regarding the complications of this forgotten clinical entity in adults with potential diagnostic difficulties and management strategies.