Meckel’s Diverticulum Injuries after Blunt Trauma

Abstract

Background: The complications associated with Meckel’s diverticulum (MD) are well-known. However, blunt injuries regarding MD have not been widely described in the literature. This was the reason for undertaking research on MD lesions. Materials and Methods: The materials consisted of 28 cases of damage to MD after blunt trauma published during the years 1921–2022. The collected data were subjected to statistical analysis. Results: The following MD injuries have been identified, starting with the most common isolated perforation of MD, bleeding from the area of MD, perforation of MD with concomitant tearing of the mesentery intestines and bleeding, intussusception of MD, and intramural hematoma of MD with adjacent mesenteric hematoma. Most injuries were caused by a traffic accident, followed by sports, accidents at work, and then violence. Almost all the cases (27) involved men. Several possible mechanisms may contribute to post-traumatic damage to MD. First of all, they are associated with abdominal compression and a secondary increase in intra-abdominal pressure as well as with the action of shearing forces during deceleration. Conclusions: Traumatic MD injuries are differentiated and very rare. They can coexist with other serious injuries to the abdominal organs.