What is "Meckel's Diverticulitis"?

QUESTION: You have discussed diverticulosis and diverticulitis on several
occasions in your column, but you always forget to mention the type of
diverticulitis I suffered from called "Meckel's Diverticulitis," and was so
serious I needed an operation to correct it. I think your readers should be
told about this condition as well, if their understanding is to be complete.
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ANSWER: You have an interesting and personal perspective on diverticulitis,
and perhaps I can add a little to your knowledge as well. Meckel's
diverticulitis is rather rare, only 1% to 2% of the population have a
"Meckels". It's formed by a congenital "left over" from our fetal
development, and occurs when the embryonic yolk stalk does not close up, as it
does in most people; but when it does remain, it can cause a number of
problems. Frequently it develops an infection, much the same as the appendix,
and must be removed. If there are remnant of gastric (stomach) tissue in the
pouch that comprises the diverticulum, peptic ulceration and perforation can
occur. It it becomes chronically infected, adhesions may develop leading to
stricture of the intestines and lower obstruction of the bowel. As a routine
procedure in all bowel surgery, the surgeon will check to see if a Meckel's
diverticulum exists, frequently removing it to prevent future complications.
The common diverticulosis and diverticulitis develop later in life, and
usually contain main out croppings of intestinal lining that form the sacs
called "diverticulum". Since the cause of these are so different than of a
Meckel's they are not usually considered, or discussed, as if they were the
same disease.