Question 89

Question:

A 2-day-old infant is brought to your office by his mother, who says she has been noticing copius amounts of blood in his stool for the past 2 days. The patient is tachycardic but has not been experiencing any pain. What embyronic structure is likely to be responsible for this patient’s condition?

Correct Answer: E.  Vitelline Duct

This patient likely has a lower GI bleed from a Meckel’s Diverticulum. This true diverticulum is a remnant of the vitelline duct and often contains ectopic gastic mucosa which can cause bleeding and perforation. The bleeding is often painless.
The ductus venosus is a shunt that bypasses the liver and carries blood from the umbilical vein directly to the IVC. Its remnant is the ligamentum venosum.
The ductus arteriosus is a shunt that bypasses the lungs to carry blood from the pulmonary artery to the aortic arch. Its remnant is the ligamentum arteriosum.
The urachus becomes the median umbilical ligament.
The 2 umbilical arteries becomes the medial umbilical ligaments.
The vitelline duct is a connection with the yolk stalk and bowel, but normally obliterates during week 7 of development.