Case report and literature review shows technetium-99m scintigraphy diagnosing Meckel's diverticulum in an older child, highlighting nuclear imaging's value in ambiguous abdominal presentations.
Meckel’s diverticulum (MD) is usually asymptomatic, with the most common presentation being painless gastrointestinal bleeding in children under the age of 2 years. We report a case of a 10-year-old male who presented with painless hematochezia and melena, accompanied by several months of intermittent abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and constipation. Initial evaluation and imaging were nondiagnostic for MD. However, technetium-99m pertechnetate scintigraphy established the diagnosis of MD, which was confirmed surgically. This case report and literature review highlight the frequent diagnostic uncertainty surrounding symptomatic MD in older children and emphasize the value of nuclear imaging in clarifying ambiguous presentations.
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Gongloor et al. (2026) studied this question.
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