A single-center study of secondary intussusception in children with Meckel’s diverticulum

There are a limited number of clinical reports addressing intussusception resulting from uncomplicated Meckel's diverticulum (MD). This paper examines the clinical characteristics and treatment strategies for intussusception secondary to MD, synthesizes clinical experiences, and offers reference value for clinicians in selecting appropriate surgical approaches. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted involving thirty patients diagnosed with intussusception secondary to MD, who underwent surgical intervention in the Department of Pediatric Surgery at Linyi People's Hospital between June 2016 and June 2025. The patients were categorized into two groups based on the presence or absence of ectopic tissue within the diverticulum: the ectopic tissue group (Group A, 10 patients) and the non-ectopic tissue group (Group B, 20 patients). A comparative analysis of the clinical data between the two groups was performed. The results indicated that Group A included six patients with ectopic gastric mucosal gland tissue and four patients with ectopic pancreatic tissue. It was observed that, in female patients with MD, the ectopic tissue predominantly originated from gastric glands, whereas in male patients, it predominantly originated from pancreatic tissue (P = 0.035). Furthermore, compared to Group B, patients in Group A exhibited a greater distance from the ileocecal valve (P = 0.006) and increased diverticulum length (P = 0.017). However, no significant differences were found between the groups concerning age, gender, clinical symptoms, or diverticulum width (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The clinical presentation of intussusception secondary to MD is atypical, necessitating surgical exploration and postoperative histopathological examination for a definitive diagnosis. The findings of this study indicate that ectopic tissue is not the primary etiological factor in intussusception secondary to MD. However, diverticula containing ectopic tissue tend to be marginally longer and are located at a greater distance from the ileocecal valve compared to those lacking ectopic tissue.