Preoperative diagnosis of rectal bleeding in an adult using a radioisotope scan.
A 22-year-old man with burning pain in the lower abdomen and rectal bleeding had a sodium pertechnetate Tc 99m scan. The scan showed an area of uptake in the right lower quadrant which at operation was found to be a Meckel's diverticulum. The ability of ectopic gastric mucosa within a Meckel's diverticulum to concentrate sodium pertechnetate Tc 99 m allows for this noninvasive diagnosis of some types of rectal bleeding, especially when the cause has escaped detection by conventional endoscopic and barium contrast examinations.
D000328:Adult; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008467:Meckel Diverticulum / Q000150:complications; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012007:Rectum