Intestinal obstruction secondary to perforation of Meckel’s diverticulum caused by dentures: a case report and review of literature

Meckel’s diverticulum (MD) is the most common congenital abnormality of the gastrointestinal tract. However, MD is rare in clinical practice, and perforation of a MD by a foreign body is even rarer. Preoperative diagnosis is difficult because there is often insufficient information; therefore it is usually diagnosed intraoperatively. Although rare, it should be considered as a differential diagnosis in patients who have ingested foreign bodies.

The following is the case of a 52-year-old female patient who was admitted because of generalized abdominal pain for 5 days, related to nausea and vomiting. She also stopped passing gas. Inflammatory indicators were elevated, and computed tomography (CT) revealed gas–liquid levels in the small intestine and high-density objects in the ileum. Based on the patient’s condition, laparotomy was performed instead because the laparoscopic procedure was difficult to perform. Intraoperatively, a foreign body perforated the diverticulum of the terminal ileum, resulting in the development of an abdominal abscess. Finally, we performed resection of the ileal diverticula and partial resection of the ileum. After the surgery, it was confirmed that the foreign bodies were two dentures accidentally eaten by the patient.

A thorough understanding of the clinical presentation, imaging features, and treatment of MD and its complications will assist clinicians in making prompt and accurate diagnoses and providing symptomatic treatment.