Appendicitis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Appendicitis, including details on symptoms, surgery, causes, treatment.

Alternative diagnoses of acute appendicitis on helical CT with intravenous and rectal contrast.

Karam AR, Birjawi GA, Sidani CA, Haddad MC

Department of Diagnostic Radiology, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon.

At our institution, helical CT of the abdomen and pelvis with intravenous and rectal contrast (CTRC) has become the modality of choice for investigation of patients with right lower quadrant pain and clinical suspicion of acute appendicitis. CTRC has proven useful for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis (AA) and at the same time identifies alternative diagnoses mimicking AA. This pictorial assay illustrates the imaging findings of AA and its mimickers including primary epiploic appendagitis, right-sided diverticulitis, torsion of Meckel's diverticulum, gynecologic disorders, obstructive uropathy, right lower lobe pneumonia, and other conditions.

Published 26 February 2007 in Clin Imaging, 31(2): 77-86.
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