Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Apr;19(2):85-9.
doi: 10.4103/0971-9261.129601.

Meckel's diverticulum and ectopic epithelium: Evaluation of a complex relationship

Sathyaprasad Burjonrappa  1 , Phue Khaing  2
Affiliations

Meckel's diverticulum and ectopic epithelium: Evaluation of a complex relationship

Sathyaprasad Burjonrappa et al. J Indian Assoc Pediatr Surg. 2014 Apr.

Abstract

Introduction: Meckel's diverticulum is the most common congenital anomaly of the gastrointestinal tract. Currently, for any incidentally discovered Meckel's diverticulum, the management approach is based on weighing the statistical odds of future complications against the risks of a diverticulectomy.

Materials and methods: The temporal relationship between age at Meckel's diverticulectomy and the presence of ectopic epithelium was evaluated in our series. A meta-analysis of all reported recent literature on this condition was subsequently performed to evaluate the strength of the relationship between ectopic epithelium and symptomatic Meckel's diverticulum.

Results: There was a paucity of ectopic epithelium in Meckel's diverticulectomy specimens in infants operated on at less than 1 year of age. Having two or more ectopic epithelia in a diverticulum does not appear to carry an additive risk for complications. The meta-analysis confirmed that ectopic epithelium was the most significant factor that influenced surgical intervention in all series of Meckel's diverticulum.

Conclusion: The relationship between ectopic epithelium and the development of symptomatic Meckel's diverticulum is complex. Further understanding of the development of ectopic rests in the diverticulum will facilitate elucidating the pathophysiology in symptomatic cases.

Keywords: Ectopic epithelium; meckel's diverticulum; meta-analysis; surgical indications.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Meta-analysis by random effects model confirms the well known finding of ectopic epithelium causing symptomatic Meckel's diverticulum
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Schropp KP, Garey CL. Meckel's diverticulum. In: Holcomb, Murphy, editors. Ashcraft's Pediatric Surgery. 5th Edition. Philadelphia, PA: W.B. Saunders; 2010. pp. 526–31.
    1. Cullen JJ, Kelly KA, Moir CR, Hodge DO, Zinsmeister AR, Melton LJ., 3rd Surgical management of Meckel's diverticulum. An epidemiologic, population-based study. Ann Surg. 1994;220:564–8. discussion 568-9. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Zarand A, Bajtai A, Baranyai Z, Dede K, Jakab F. Inflammation of ectopic pancreatic tissue in a Meckel's diverticulum causing acute abdominal symptoms: A case report and review of the literature. Int J Surg Pathol. 2011;19:359–63. - PubMed
    1. Al-Zahem A, Arbuckle S, Cohen R. Combined ileal heterotopic pancreatic and gastric tissues causing ileocolic intussusception in an infant. Pediatr Surg Int. 2006;22:297–9. - PubMed
    1. Soderlund S. Meckel's diverticulum. A clinical and histologic study. Acta Chir Scand Suppl. 1959;248(Suppl):1–233. - PubMed