Bilateral Epiploic Appendagitis: A Rather Benign but Diagnostically Challenging Cause of Acute Abdominal Pain

Epiploic appendagitis (EA) is a rare and often misdiagnosed cause of acute abdominal pain. It is a benign and self-limited condition but mimics other underlying causes of acute abdominal pain like acute diverticulitis, acute appendicitis, acute cholecystitis, etc. Inaccurate diagnosis can lead to ia...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) CA), 2020-04, Vol.12 (4)
Main Authors: Yousaf, Amman, Ahmad, Soban, Ghaffar, Fariha, Sajid, Sadia, Ikram, Sundus
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abdomen
Antibiotics
Appendicitis
Appendix
Case reports
Colon
Diverticulitis
Emergency Medicine
General Surgery
Hernias
Ischemia
Laboratories
Laparotomy
Medical diagnosis
Medical imaging
Pain
Patients
Radiology
Thrombosis
Ultrasonic imaging
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Summary:Epiploic appendagitis (EA) is a rare and often misdiagnosed cause of acute abdominal pain. It is a benign and self-limited condition but mimics other underlying causes of acute abdominal pain like acute diverticulitis, acute appendicitis, acute cholecystitis, etc. Inaccurate diagnosis can lead to iatrogenic adverse outcomes. To the best of our knowledge, the present report represents the first case of bilateral EA involving both cecum and descending colon. The patient presented with symptoms of bilateral iliac fossa pain. Conservative management and close outpatient follow up resulted in a successful clinical outcome with no recurrence of symptoms. This article illustrates that clinicians and radiologists should include this etiology among differential diagnoses of patients presenting with acute abdominal pain, as it might prevent unnecessary hospitalizations, antibiotic therapy, and unwarranted surgical interventions.
ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.7897