Korean J Obstet Gynecol.  2012 Dec;55(12):986-989. 10.5468/KJOG.2012.55.12.986.

Conservative management of cecal diverticulitis mimicking acute appendicitis in a pregnant woman

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Korea. binnayokr@jbnu.ac.kr

Abstract

A 24-year-old pregnant woman was referred for further evaluation and treatment of the right lower quadrant pain at 19+1 weeks gestational age. The patient was diagnosed to be acute appendicitis and underwent laparoscopic surgery. However, an inflamed solitary cecal diverticulum was found during surgery. After a routine appendectomy, cecal diverticulitis was conservatively treated with postoperative antibiotics without signs of peritonitis. To date, most of the non-pregnant women with cecal diverticulitis have been managed surgically. Our case indicates that a pregnant patient with cecal diverticulitis could be managed medically during pregnancy.

Keyword

Pregnancy; Cecal diverticulitis; Conservative treatment

MeSH Terms

Anti-Bacterial Agents
Appendectomy
Appendicitis
Diverticulitis
Diverticulum
Female
Gestational Age
Humans
Laparoscopy
Peritonitis
Pregnancy
Pregnant Women
Anti-Bacterial Agents

Figure

  • Fig. 1 A T2-weighted axial magnetic resonance imaging scan of the abdomen shows a focal wall thickening of right-sided colon wall, its related inflammation and an intrauterine pregnancy.

  • Fig. 2 Intraoperative findings of an inflamed solitary cecal diverticulum (arrow) after appendectomy (arrow head).


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