Use of Meckel’s diverticulum as a temporary diverting ostomy

Abstract

Meckel’s diverticulum is among the most common congenital defects of the gastrointestinal tract, and is associated with a
total lifetime risk of complications around 4%. While debate on prophylactic resection of incidental Meckel’s diverticulum
continues, there have been reports of its successful use for urinary diversion and reconstruction. In contrast, its use as a
means of fecal diversion has been described anecdotally. Herein, we describe our technique of temporary fecal diversion using
Meckel’s diverticulum as reliable conduit for stoma formation in a toddler. The stoma functioned well until continuity of
bowel was restored and diverticulum resected safely. We trust that our limited experience will encourage other colleagues
to test the inventive use of Meckel’s diverticulum as a potentially safe and effective option to fit in the surgical armamentarium for temporary fecal diversion.