Perforation of Meckel's diverticulum by a toothpick

We report the case of a 31-year-old man with lower abdominal pain, leucocyt osis and normal sonographic findings. When performing laparoscopy we found a Meckel's diverticulum perforated by a toothpick. Meckel's diverticulum is the most common congenital abnormality of the gastrointestinal tract. Symp toms normally occur only when there are complications, when bleeding, obstr uction and inflammation are most frequent. Despite modern imaging technique s the diagnosis is difficult and often made intraoperatively. Resection sho uld be performed in any case, because the risk of future complications of t he diverticulum outweigh the morbidity after simple diverticulectomy.