Meckel's Diverticulum Presenting as Fistula-in-Ano

Abstract

Meckel's diverticulum is a relatively common congenital abnormality, occurring in about 2% of the population. The majority of such diverticula do not cause symptoms, being found incidentally at laparotomy or necropsy. They may, however, present as acute abdominal emergencies closely mimicking acute appendicitis. Various authors have recorded rare presentations and complications of Meckel's diverticulum—for example, with peptic ulcer (Cobb, 1936), with tuberculosis (MacDonald, 1947), as perforation (Ward-McQuaid, 1950), and even a knot in Meckel's diverticulum giving rise to small-bowel obstruction (Walsh, 1950). The following case of Meckel's diverticulum presented as fistula-in-ano. This complication has not been recorded previously. © 1973, British Medical Journal Publishing Group. All rights reserved.