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- Original Article Clinical Characteristics of Primary Epiploic Appendagitis
- Jae Jung Park, Sung-Ae Jung, Young Wook Noh, Go Heun Kim, Hyun-mi Heo, Suh Eun Bae, Yun Jung Choi, So I Kim, Myung-Won Lee, Min Jung Kang, Ji Min Jung, Seong-Eun Kim, Hye-Kyung Jung, Ki-Nam Shim, Tae-Hun Kim, Kwon Yoo, Il Hwan Moon
- Intestinal Research 2009;7(1):47-51. Published online: June 30, 2009
Department of Internal Medicine, Ewha Medical Research Institute, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
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Abstract
Background/Aims
Primary epiploic appendagitis (PEA) is a rare cause of focal abdominal pain in otherwise healthy patients. Patients with acute abdominal pain are often misdiagnosed clinically as acute appendicitis or diverticulitis. The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical presentation and characteristic computed tomography (CT) findings of PEA. Methods: We reviewed the clinical records and CT images of 23 consecutive patients in Korea who presented with acute abdominal pain between January 2005 and February 2009 and had radiologic signs of PEA. Results: Twenty-three patients (7 females and 16 males; average age, 42±14 years) were diagnosed with symptomatic PEA. Abdominal pain localized to the left (8 patients [44.5%]) and right (10 patients [55.5%]) lower quadrants as the leading symptom. CT findings specific for PEA were present in all patients except one. The symptoms resolved within 1 week (mean, 3.5 days) with or without antibiotic treatment. Conclusions: In patients with localized, sharp, acute abdominal pain not associated with other symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, fever or atypical laboratory values, the diagnosis of PEA should be considered and the diagnosis confirmed by CT scan. (Intest Res 2009;7:47-51)
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