Right lower-quadrant pain-more than one diagnosis
Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 17, 2026

Quantifying Pain Location and Intensity with Multimodal Pain Body Diagrams
Published on: July 7, 2023
Cena Tejani1, Tej Phatak, Adam Sivitz
1Emergency Medicine Education, Newark Beth Israel Hospital, Brookly, NY, USA. ctejani5@yahoo.com
Abstract:
When a patient presents with right-lower-quadrant pain in the emergency room, the diagnosis of appendicitis must always be considered, but the differential diagnosis for this symptom includes many other etiologies. We describe a case of an 8-year-old girl with von Willebrand disease who presented with right-lower-quadrant pain and was found to have an appendiceal wall hematoma. During her evaluation, an ultrasound of the abdomen was performed, and the results were initially interpreted as an intussusception. Although ultrasound is a highly reliable way to diagnose appendicitis and intussusception, the case illustrates that the thickened abdominal wall that occurs in a mural hematoma can appear like the "target sign" that is usually associated with intussusception, and in certain clinical scenarios, alternative forms of imaging may be of value.
Related Concept Videos
Abdominal Regions and Quadrants
The simpler quadrants approach, which is more commonly used in medicine, subdivides the cavity with one horizontal and one vertical line that intersects at the patient's umbilicus (navel). The four quadrants...
Peptic Ulcer Disease III: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Studies
Few clinical manifestations differentiate gastric ulcers from duodenal ulcers. Distinctions in the location, timing, and pain relief are crucial for healthcare providers in differentiating between gastric and duodenal ulcers during clinical assessments.
Appendicitis-I: Introduction
Etiology: Appendicitis can arise from various causes, primarily rooted in the obstruction of the appendix lumen. Factors contributing to this obstruction include fecal accumulation, lymphoid hyperplasia and, in...
Peripheral Arterial Disease II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Evaluation
Acute Pyelonephritis II: Diagnostic Studies and Management
Acute Pancreatitis II: Clinical Manifestations and Management

