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Objective: To review the anatomy, symptomatology, diagnosis, complications and management of symptomatic and asymptomatic Meckel's diverticula. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Teaching hospital, The Netherlands. Subjects: 27 consecutive patients who underwent resection of a Meckel's diverticulum during the 16 year period 1 January 1981 31 August 1997. Main outcome measures: The symptomatology and histopathological findings. Results: 15 patients had symptoms and 12 did not. Haemorrhage and inflammation were the most common presenting symptoms. All histopathological signs of inflammation were found in those with symptomatic diverticula. Resected asymptomatic Meckel's diverticula were abnormal in only two occasions: one contained an adenocarcinoma and one a faecolith. Conclusion: All symptomatic Meckel's diverticula should be resected. The surgical treatment of asymptomatic Meckel's diverticula is still controversial.

Bleeding complications after excision of lumps in the breast are common and may be related to the prescription of heparin for prophylaxis of thrombo-embolism. Between I June 1997 and I January 2000, 206 lumps of the breast were removed in 186 patients. All patients received a low molecular weight heparin as a prophylaxis for deep venous thrombosis. The number of bleeding complications was 23 (11%). Patients operated on the day of admission had more bleeding complications than those who were operated on the day after admission (19/145 (13%) compared with 4/61 (7%)). The difference was not significant (p = 0.26). Smoking and use of antihypertensive medication were registered more often in patients without bleeding complications. Lumpectomy of the breast is an operation with a lot of bleeding complications. This might be related to the timing of deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis.