Abstract
Small bowel diverticula are rare. Except for Meckel's diverticula, most diverticula of the small intestine arise in the mesentery side. Once they have penetrated the small intestine, mesenteric abscess is formed in many cases. Recently we have experienced two cases of mesenteric abscess due to penetration of an ileal deverticulum, which were diagnosed by preoperative CT scanning and were operated on.
Case 1 involved a 79-year-old man who was referred to our hospital because of right lower quadrant pain. An abdominal CT scan revealed an abscess on the mesentery side of the ileocecal region and a diverticulum of the ascending colon. Accordingly mesenteric abscess due to penetration of ascending colon diverticulitis was diagnosed and ileocecal excision was performed.
Case 2 involved a 63-year-old man who was admitted to our hospital because he developed fever and abdominal distension following colonoscopy at another hospital. An abdominal CT scan revealed abscess formation within the mesentery of the small intestine. Mesenteric abscess formation caused by penetration of an ileal diverticulum was diagnosed, and the resection of the small intestine was done. In both cases, the histopathological diagnosis was mesenteric abscess due to penetration of an ileal diverticulum.
Although it is difficult to diagnose the presence of an ileal diverticulum preoperatively, the disease must be kept in mind as a possible diagnosis when a mesenteric abscess is demonstrated on CT.
