Small bowel diverticula in elderly patients: a case report and review article

BMC Surg. 2022 Mar 18;22(1):101. doi: 10.1186/s12893-022-01541-y.

Abstract

Background: Small intestine diverticula are rare findings that were mostly reported in the elderly population as asymptomatic findings. However, they can also present with a wide range of symptoms (bloating, early satiety, chronic abdominal discomfort, and diarrhea/steatorrhea) or complications (gastrointestinal bleeding, small bowel obstruction, acute diverticulitis, or perforation) which in turn warrant medical treatment or urgent surgical intervention.

Case presentation: This is a case report of an 84-year-old female who presented with an acute surgical abdomen. An exploratory laparotomy revealed complicated small bowel diverticula with a jejunal diverticulum perforation, for which a diverticulectomy was performed.

Conclusions: Throughout this paper, we are aiming to outweigh the consideration of the possibility of complicated small bowel diverticula as a differential in the evaluation of any acute abdomen, especially in the elderly, which warrants emergency surgical management.

Keywords: Case report; Complicated small intestinal diverticulosis; Diverticulectomy; Jejunal diverticulum perforation; Review article; Small bowel diverticula.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Diverticulitis* / complications
  • Diverticulitis* / diagnosis
  • Diverticulitis* / surgery
  • Diverticulum* / complications
  • Diverticulum* / diagnosis
  • Diverticulum* / surgery
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Intestinal Perforation* / diagnosis
  • Intestinal Perforation* / etiology
  • Intestinal Perforation* / surgery
  • Intestine, Small / surgery
  • Jejunal Diseases* / complications
  • Jejunal Diseases* / diagnosis