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Caecal‐diverticulitis: A rare differential diagnosis for right‐sided lower abdominal pain
Author(s) -
Junge K.,
Marx A.,
Peiper Ch.,
Klosterhalfen B.,
Schumpelick V.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
colorectal disease
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.029
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1463-1318
pISSN - 1462-8910
DOI - 10.1046/j.1463-1318.2003.00430.x
Subject(s) - medicine , diverticulitis , differential diagnosis , appendicitis , abdominal pain , surgery , general surgery , appendix , ascending colon , diverticulosis , paleontology , pathology , biology
Objective There are several differential diagnoses for acute abdominal discomfort with pain referred to the right lower quadrant region. The objective of this report is to outline our experience with diverticulitis of the caecum, which is a rare condition that is particularly difficult to diagnose correctly pre‐operatively. Methods A retrospective analysis of acute diverticulitis of the caecum was performed over the period from January 1992 to December 2000 within the Surgical Department of the RWTH Aachen, Germany. The progress of each patient was assessed by interviewing the patient and by telephone contact with the patient's general practitioner. Results Seven patients with isolated infective diverticulitis of the caecum were encountered in the course of this study. In five of these cases, the pre‐operative diagnosis was either unclear or incorrect. Four patients underwent surgery for suspected appendicitis. In one patient, the diverticulitis was diagnosed during laparoscopic surgery undertaken for presumed adnexal disease. Intestinal continuity was restored in all cases. The postoperative course was uneventful. Conclusions Right‐sided caecal diverticulitis is rare in comparison to diverticulitis of the sigmoid or descending colon. Nevertheless, it should be actively considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with acute tenderness in the right lower abdominal region.