Perforated Meckel's diverticulum (MD) in a preterm baby is very rare. We report a case of a very preterm baby, born at 29-week gestation, with a birth weight of 1400 g, admitted in the third hour of life to our intensive care unit (ICU) for respiratory distress syndrome with abdominal distention. An abdominal radiograph showed a pneumoperitoneum. Laparotomy revealed Meckel's perforation. The baby was discharged healthy at the age of 16 days. MD should be kept in mind as one cause of an acute abdomen in preterm neonates mimicking necrotizing enterocolitis. To our knowledge, our patient is the third reported case described in the literature and the first one revealed at birth.

Herniation through a congenital mesenteric defect is a rare cause of intestinal obstruction in the newborn. Early diagnosis and surgical treatment improves the prognosis. We present a case of a full-term infant who presented with respiratory distress at birth. Enteral feeding was not started because abdominal distension and delayed passage of meconium. Bowel obstruction was suspected. Radiological investigation did not provide a clear diagnosis. Surgical exploration revealed transmesenteric congenital hernia. After surgical repair, enteral feeding was tolerated and patient was discharged with an uneventful outcome. Diagnostic difficulties were discussed.