Traumatic appendicitis misdiagnosed as a case of haemoperitoneum

• Published in: BMJ case reports Vol. 2014; p. bcr2013202082
• Main Authors: Ahmed, Syed Tausif, Ranjan, Rajeev, Saha, Subhendu Bikas, Singh, Balbodh
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BMJ Publishing Group LTD 23.04.2014; BMJ Publishing Group
• Series: Case Report
• Subjects: Abdomen; Abdomen, Acute - etiology; Abdominal Injuries - complications; Appendicitis; Appendicitis - diagnosis; Appendicitis - etiology; Appendicitis - surgery; Appendix; Asia; Child; Diagnostic Errors; Hemoperitoneum - diagnosis; Hospitals; Humans; Indian Sub-Continent; Laparoscopy; Learning from Errors; Male; Medical imaging; Patients; Postoperative period; Wounds, Nonpenetrating - complications
• ISSN: 1757-790X; 1757-790X
• DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2013-202082

Acute appendicitis is one of the most common emergencies handled by a surgeon. Various aetiologies of acute appendicitis have been proposed but none have been proved. Trauma too has been proposed as a cause of acute appendicitis. Here we present a case of blunt trauma abdomen which was explored to rule out a perforation of hollow viscous organ and haemoperitoneum, but at the time of exploration a perforated appendicitis was found. The chronological order of events points towards blunt trauma as the probable cause of this appendicitis. This case also highlights the fact that even if trauma was not the cause of acute appendicitis, acute appendicitis should still be kept in the differential diagnosis of a patient presenting with pain in the right lower abdomen and a history of trauma.