Heterotopic Pancreas within Meckel's Diverticulum with Obscure then Massive Gastrointestinal Bleeding in a 12-year-old Child: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract

We report a case of a 12-year-old boy with heterotopic pancreas (HP) located in a Meckel's diverticulum (MD) and presenting as obscure gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. Upper GI endoscopy and colonoscopy did not reveal the source of the bleeding, however, capsule endoscopy revealed a space-occupying lesion in the ileum. The patient developed massive bleeding and an emergency exploratory laparotomy was performed. A congested MD was discovered 100 cm from the ileocaecal valve using intra-operative endoscopy; the ulcerated tip of the diverticulum appeared to be the source of the bleeding. The MD and adjacent ileal segment were resected and an end-to-end anastomosis performed. Subsequent pathological examination revealed an ileal MD with HP tissue within the submucosa. The patient remains well, 12 months after the operation, with no evidence of recurrent bleeding. This case suggests that HP should be considered as one possible cause of obscure GI bleeding in children and capsule endoscopy is a valuable adjuvant tool in the diagnosis of HP in children.