A case of Meckel’s diverticulum misdiagnosed as gastrointestinal stromal tumor - case report and literature review

Sep 28, 2026

Meckel’s diverticulum (MD), a congenital lesion often containing ectopic gastric mucosa, can ulcerate and cause painless lower gastrointestinal bleeding, especially in children and adolescents. Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) can occur in the small intestine and show overlapping imaging findings, creating diagnostic difficulty. A 17-year-old woman presented with melena, abdominal pain, and anemia; CT suggested a GIST, but laparoscopic resection and histopathology confirmed MD with fundic gland-type ectopia.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Case Presentation and Diagnostic Workup

Treatment and Pathology Findings

Discussion and Literature Review

Conclusion

TYPE Case Report PUBLISHED 19 December 2025 DOI 10.3389/fmed.2025.1672019 OPEN ACCESS EDITED BY Fabio Grizzi, Humanitas Research Hospital, Italy REVIEWED BY Vipul Yagnik, Banas Medical College and Research Institute, India Ramiro Vargas Aignasse, Universidad Católica de Córdoba, Argentina *CORRESPONDENCE Wei Wei [weiw@jlu.edu.cn](weiw@jlu.edu.cn) RECEIVED 25 November 2025 REVISED 22 November 2025 ACCEPTED 25 November 2025 PUBLISHED 19 December 2025 CITATION Wang B, Li S, Huang G, Tang Z, Ye Z, Wang Mand Wei W (2025) A case of Meckel’s diverticulum misdiagnosed as gastrointestinal stromal tumor: case report and literature review. Front. Med. 12:1672019 . doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1672019 COPYRIGHT © 2025 Wang, Li, Huang, Tang, Ye, Wang and Wei. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. A case of Meckel’s diverticulum misdiagnosed as gastrointestinal stromal tumor: case report and literature review Binbin Wang1 , Shuxin Li1 , Gengchen Huang1 , Zhijun Tang1 , Zihao Ye1 , Miao Wang2 and Wei Wei1* 1 Department of Urology II, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China, 2 Department of Gastrointestinal and Colorectal Surgery, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China Meckel’s diverticulum (MD) is a common congenital gastrointestinal malformation often containing ectopic gastric mucosa. It is prone to ulceration and painless lower gastrointestinal bleeding, predominantly affecting children and adolescents. Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), which arise from Cajal interstitial cells, are predominantly mesenchymal tumors that occur predominantly in middle-aged and elderly individuals. Both conditions may occur in the small intestine, presenting gastrointestinal bleeding and exhibiting overlapping imaging features, which pose challenges for clinical differentiation. This report describes a 17-years-old female patient admitted to the First Hospital of Jilin University with intermittent melena, abdominal pain, and anemia. Small bowel CT imaging (CTE) revealed a nodular lesion measuring approximately 0 .9 cm 􀀂 1. 8 cm within the ileal lumen. The lesion exhibited abroad base attached to the intestinal wall and showed marked homogeneous enhancement, strongly suggesting a GIST. Previous gastrointestinal endoscopy had only indicated chronic gastritis and colitis. The patient underwent laparoscopic segmental resection of the ileal mass. Postoperative pathology conﬁrmed an MD with fundic gland-type ectopia. This case highlights the diagnostic challenges of complex MD and underscores the critical role of histopathology. It thereby provides diagnostic and surgical guidance for MD cases that mimic GIST on imaging, thereby reducing misdiagnosis. KEYWORDS Meckel’s diverticulum, ectopic gastric mucosa, gastrointestinal stromal tumor, laparoscopic surgery, case report 1 Introduction Meckel’s diverticulum (MD) is a common congenital gastrointestinal malformation resulting from incomplete regression of the embryonic vitelline duct ( 1) . Its clinical features are often summarized by the “Rule of 2s”: an incidence of approximately 2%, commonly located on the para mesenteric margin within the proximal 2 feet (approximately 61 cm) of the ileocecal valve, measuring about 2 inches (approximately 5 cm) in length, with a male predominance (approximately 2:1), and symptoms typically presenting before age Frontiers in Medicine 01 [frontiersin.org](frontiersin.org) 2 ( 1, 2) . As a true diverticulum, MD comprises the entire wall thickness of the small intestine, with

FAQs

What makes Meckel’s diverticulum difficult to diagnose preoperatively?

MD may mimic other small-intestinal lesions because it can overlap with imaging features of tumors such as GIST, and preoperative diagnostic rates in symptomatic patients are reported as less than 10%.

Why did imaging strongly suggest a gastrointestinal stromal tumor in this case?

Small-bowel CT showed a nodular lesion attached to the intestinal wall with marked homogeneous enhancement, a pattern that strongly suggested a GIST.

How was the diagnosis ultimately confirmed?

The patient underwent laparoscopic segmental resection, and postoperative pathology confirmed Meckel’s diverticulum with fundic gland-type ectopia.

Sep 28, 2026

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