Small Bowel Obstruction Caused by Entrapment of a Meckel Diverticulum Within an Ileo-Mesenteric Fibrous Band: A Case Report

Background and Clinical Significance: Meckel’s diverticulum is the most common congenital anomaly of the gastrointestinal tract and an uncommon cause of small bowel obstruction in adults, in which the diverticulum or a band arising from it typically constricts the adjacent bowel. Entrapment of the diverticulum itself within a pre-existing fibrous band is exceedingly rare; Case Presentation: A 42-year-old man with no previous abdominal surgery presented with colicky abdominal pain, distension and bilious vomiting. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography demonstrated small bowel loops dilated to 35.4 mm with a pelvic transition point of undetermined cause. At emergency laparotomy, a fibrous ileo-mesenteric band delimited a constricting orifice through which the Meckel’s diverticulum had herniated and become strangulated at its base, with secondary obstruction and ischemia of the adjacent ileum. Division of the band restored perfusion; the bowel remained viable and stapled diverticulectomy was performed without segmental resection. The patient recovered without complications. In most reported cases of Meckel’s diverticulum causing small bowel obstruction, the diverticulum or a band arising from it constricts the adjacent bowel. In this case the mechanism is reversed: the diverticulum was the entrapped structure itself, herniating through and strangulating within the orifice of a pre-existing ileo-mesenteric fibrous band. This configuration is exceptionally rare; Conclusions: Meckel’s diverticulum should be considered among the possible causes of small bowel obstruction in adults with no history of abdominal surgery. Recognition of this unusual anatomical configuration may facilitate intraoperative identification and appropriate assessment of bowel viability.