What is a Meckel's scan and why is it performed?

A Meckel diverticulum is a true diverticulum in the distal small bowel. It can be found in 1 – 3% of the population. It contains ectopic gastric (stomach) mucosa. Most people are asymptomatic. Symptomatic cases are normally in children less than 2 years. It is rare in persons over the age of 40. Presenting symptoms are normally blood per rectum/ bloody stools.

A Meckel scan is performed in symptomatic patients to prove bleeding from this diverticulum.

How does it work?

Patients should be fasting for at least 4 – 6h prior to the test. To increase the specificity and sensitivity of the test H2 blockers (Cimetidine, Ranitidine) is normally prescribed 2 days prior to the test.

A small dose of a radioisotope (Technetium in this case) is injected intravenously. You will be positioned under the gamma camera where a series of dynamic and static supine images are obtained. The scan lasts approximately 60 min.

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