Radiological diagnosis of Meckel's diverticulum

Seven patients with clinically suspected Meckel's diverticulum were examined. The symptoms of Meckel's diverticulum are variable, ranging from mild recurrent or severe acute gastrointestinal bleeding to intestinal obstruction and acute peritonitis. The authors evaluate the diagnostic results and suggest guidelines to choose the most appropriate radiological procedures, according to the clinical pattern: barium meal, enteroclysis and scintigraphy (99mTc) in patients with mild bleeding; mesenteric angiography in case of severe bleeding. The possibility of false negatives and positives is then discussed.