Rectal diverticulum

Case contributed by Esteban Calleja Montealegre
Diagnosis certain

Presentation

Lower gastrointestinal bleeding for 3-4 months. No previous studies of the gastrointestinal tract.

Patient Data

Age: 75 years
Gender: Female
Fluoroscopy

The main finding is a saccular diverticulum, an outpouching that has barium pooling, in the right side of the rectum. There are also some small diverticula in the sigmoid colon. 

Case Discussion

Lower gastrointestinal bleeding is defined as occurring distal to the ligament of Treitz, so there are many meters of gastrointestinal tract to be implicated. Causes include: diverticular disease, enterocolitis, vascular malformations, polyps, masses, among many others.

In this case, diverticular disease is the cause of bleeding, but the case reports and literature of rectal diverticula are scarce.

This patient was referred to colonoscopy to confirm the diagnosis, even though the imaging findings are typical. 

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