Operative image shows a Meckel diverticulum in the distal ileum. The apex of the diverticulum was tethered to the small bowel mesentery by a mesodiverticular band. Computed tomography shows the small bowel abnormally localized in the upper left portion of the abdomen. An appreciable thin membrane, denoted by an arrow, surrounds the small bowel, representing the peritoneal encapsulation.
The rarity of peritoneal encapsulation, the rarity of Meckel diverticulum, and the typically quiescent existence of both entities make it extremely unlikely for both to not only be present in the same individual but to contribute to what was likely an interdependent pathology. Since the first description of peritoneal encapsulation in 1868, only 30 instances have been reported in the medical literature. As none of the reported cases described peritoneal encapsulation with an associated Meckel diverticulum causing acute small bowel obstruction, this case is believed to be the first description of this phenomenon.