A Case of Epiploic Appendagitis

Sumitomo Kato, Hitoya Kobayashi, Tsukasa Nakagawa

Department of Surgery, Yukokai General Hospital

A case of epiploic appendagitis is presented. A 39-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with complaint of abdominal pain associated with nausea. The right lower quadrant was tender to palpation with mild guarding and rebound tenderness. Routine laboratory findings showed no unusual trends. Exploration revealed a normal appendix vermiformis, but one of the epiploic appendages on the asending colon showed redness, swelling, petechiae, and necrosis, and the diagnosis of epiploic appendagitis was established. Because of the possibility of diverticulitis, a wedge shaped resection of the adjacent colon including the inflamed epiploic appendage was performed. Pathologic examination showed acute inflammation and hemorrhage. The inflammaion of the epiploic appendage appeared to be caused by torsion. The patient made an uneventful recovery and was discharged on the 11th postoperative day. In reviewing the 23 cases of epiloic appendagitis previously reported in the Japanese literature concerning the differential diagnosis from acute appendicitis, patients with epiploic appendagitis were less likely to have leucocytosis and fever simultaneously; however the number of the patients was too small for a conclusion.

Key words
epiploic appendagitis

Reprint requests
Sumitomo Kato Department of Surgery, Yukokai General Hospital
1-34-1 Shimizu, Ibaraki City, 567 JAPAN

Accepted
October 9, 1991

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