Perforated caecal diverticulitis mimicking an acute appendicitis: A case report

Abstract

Right iliac fossa pain, nausea and vomiting in young adults are common symptoms that require careful surgical assessment with acute appendicitis being a common cause. Uncommonly, other conditions can mimic this presentation such as caecal diverticulitis. This condition is often misdiagnosed due to lack of characteristic features and the commonest method of detection is an intraoperative one. Hereby, we describe a rare case of right iliac fossa pain in a 34-year-old female which mimicked an acute appendicitis. The ability to recognize such condition is vital as its management is different and worse outcome can be prevented by earlier detection and proper management. © 2009 Malek et al.; licensee Cases Network Ltd.