The ileum generally works well, whereas Meckel's diverticulum (MD) has complications including bleeding, obstruction, intussusception, diverticulitis, and perforation. Our knowledge of the pathological features of the MD muscular layer and mucosa is limited. We report a rare case of giant MD that was diagnosed by double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE). The pathological features of the mucosa were evaluated by investigation for Helicobacter pylori; and the nuclear proliferation antigen Ki-67, the gastrointestinal cancer-associated biomarker TRAK1, synaptophysin, and neurofilament were used to precisely define the mucosa and neuronal and ganglion cell components. The pathophysiology of MD is discussed and a literature review is presented. We believe that this is the first report of a systematic histochemical analysis of the mucosa and myenteric plexus of MD and the normal ileum. The present investigation may provide novel evidence of pathological abnormalities resulting in the complex complications of MD.
Keywords: Ki-67; Meckel’s diverticulum; Neurofilament; Synaptophysin; TRAK1.