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This is the case of a 39 year-old female patient who was admitted to the General Surgery service with an 18-hour history of abdominal pain that began as a colic pain in the right flank and then changed to a sharp pain localized in the right iliac fossa, with fever that coudln't be controlled with acetaminophen. The abdominal examination revealed defense and rebound tenderness in the right iliac fossa with positive Rovsing and McBurney siqns. The blood count showed 16 400 white blood cells with 87,1 % neutrophils. The patient was taken to the operation room with the diagnosis of acute appendicitis; but the appendix was normal, so the ileum was examined next and a perforated Meckel's diverticulum was found. Pathology reports revealed a Meckel's diverticulum with a purulent exudate and a normal appendix. The patient had a good evolution and she was discharged six days later.
Meckel's diverticulum is the most common congenital diverticulum of the small intestine occurring in about 0,3 to 3 % of the population at autopsy, typically between 60 to 120 cm from the ileocecal valve. Although Meckel's diverticulum occurs equally in both sexes, it causes complications more frequently in males and, therefore, is more otten diagnosed in this group. It has a 4,2 % chance of becoming symptomatic during lifetime. presenting with acute gastrointestinal bleeding, intussusception, inflammation or perforation.
