A Rare Case of Acute Right-Sided Colonic Diverticulitis Presenting as Pancreatitis

This case report highlights the clinical presentation, radiologic findings, and medical management of a case of right colonic diverticulitis (RCD) with concomitant pancreatitis, a rare and easily missed entity in the emergency department (ED) of Western hemisphere countries. In our report, we present and discuss a case of RCD that led to pancreatitis in a female Asian patient. We review the epidemiology, diagnosis, and management of this disorder, and also discuss some complications associated with RCD. The importance of considering this pathologic entity within the ED differential even in those patients presumed to be at low risk for this condition is also explained, as this can prevent inappropriate surgical intervention for this presentation.

We describe a 40-year-old Asian woman presenting for evaluation of epigastric pain and vomiting. She was initially thought to have cholecystitis or food poisoning, but had a normal ultrasound evaluation and ultimately had co-presenting RCD and pancreatitis diagnosed after computed tomography scanning. The patient was admitted and made a full recovery after receiving medical therapy and maintaining bowel rest. This is, to our knowledge, the first reported case of RCD and concomitant pancreatitis found in the modern literature. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Severe epigastric pain in young Asian patients with minimal risk factors may be RCD. This condition presents much like appendicitis, cholecystitis, or food poisoning, but must be considered among early differential diagnoses and evaluated appropriately in order to prevent unnecessary interventions.