Right Iliac Fossa Pain Flashcards
What are the gastro differentials of a right iliac fossa pain in a 38yo male?
- Appendicitis
- Gastroentertitis
- Mesenteric adenitis
- Acute pancreatitis
- Meckel’s diverticulitis
- Cholecystits
- SBO
- Acute onset ileitis (bacterial or Chrons)
- Perforated peptic ulcer
What are the non-gastro differentials of a right iliac fossa pain in a 38yo male?
- Ureteric colic
- Inguinal hernia (especially if encarcerated or strangulated)
- Epididymitis and/or orchitis
- Testicular Torsion
- Pyelonephritis
- Psoas abscess
- Diabetic ketoacidosis
- UTI
- Constipation
- Caecel volvus
- Caecel diverticulitis
- Shingles
- Rectus sheath haematoma
- Femoral hernia
In a female with right iliac fossa pain what differentials can you consider?
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Pelvic inflammatory disease/salpingitis
- Torsion/haemorrhage ruptrue of an ovarian tumour or cyst
- Mittelschmerz
- Threatened abortion
- Fibroid degeneration
- Uterine dehiscence
Is tenderness and pain and sign or symptom?
Tenderness is a sign
Pain is a symptom
How can you check for peritonitis quickly?
- Suck patient tummy in as far as possible then puff out again (esp in children)
- If board-like abdominal rigidity secondary to generalised peritoinism will only make minor movements
- Ask patient to cough
- Patients with inflammation of parietal peritoneum will be reluctant to cough deeply and may place their hands over area of tenderness
How do you palpate a patient in pain?
start in opposite side to where pain is
What other things must you look for in examination for a patient with right iliac fossa pain?
- Acutely unwell
- Scars
- Abdominal distension
- Cervical lymphadenopathy
- Masses
- Bowel sounds
- Hernias
- Rectal exam
- External genitalia
How can you tell if a patient is acutely unwell?
- febrile
- tachycardic
- hypotensive
- tachypnoeic
What scars do you look for?
abdominal e.g. if still have appendix and previous abdominal surgery make SBO more likely as postsurgical adhesion
Why do you look for abdominal distention?
see if SBO
Why do you look for cervical lymphaedopathy with right iliac fossa pain?
rule out mesenteric adenitis - usually follows an upper respiratory tract viral infection - most difficult condition to differentiate from appendicitis in young people
What sort of masses may cause RIF pain?
- greater omentum can wrap around inflamed organs, and create a localised mass
- tumour
- rectus sheath haematoma
What condition causes bowel sounds to be absent?
ileus
What would tinkling bowel sounds suggest?
SBO
Why do you check for hernias?
cause of SBO
What are you looking for on a rectal exam in RIF pain?
- constipation to see if due to rectal mass
2. see if blood due to IBD, bleeding Meckel’s or ceacal diverticulum
Why must you examine external genitalia with RIF pain?
- torsion
- epididymitis
- orchitis
- can present with referred pain to abdomen due to T10 symapthetic