Utilization of Imaging to Identify a Benign Condition Mimicking Acute Appendicitis in a Child

One of the most concerning causes of abdominal pain affecting children is acute appendicitis. However, there are benign conditions that can closely mimic appendicitis in children. In this article, we present a case of a child admitted for possible acute appendicitis and determined to have a conditio...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Neelam Phalke MD, Zubin Mehta MD, Samrat Das MD
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2018-08-01
Series:Journal of Investigative Medicine High Impact Case Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/2324709618797989
Description
Summary:One of the most concerning causes of abdominal pain affecting children is acute appendicitis. However, there are benign conditions that can closely mimic appendicitis in children. In this article, we present a case of a child admitted for possible acute appendicitis and determined to have a condition known as omental infarction. The patient was managed medically and made a full recovery without surgical intervention. The aim of this case report is to review omental infarction and present a way of differentiating this disease from appendicitis, utilizing imaging, with the goal of avoiding surgical intervention. We also discuss the presentation and imaging findings of and another closely related condition—epiploic appendagitis. It is important to differentiate appendicitis from these 2 conditions as they can be often managed medically without surgical intervention.
ISSN:2324-7096