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Updated: Feb 3, 2026

Author Spotlight: Quantifying Pain Experience – An Illustrative Approach Using the Pain Body Diagram
Published on: July 7, 2023
Left lower quadrant pain: an unlikely diagnosis in a case of acute abdomen
Jennifer Williams1, Shumona Ima2, Charles Milrod1
1College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Abstract:
Splenic infarct is an incredibly rare diagnosis for abdominal pain. One study involving two hospitals over ten years describes only 0.0037% of all hospital admissions presenting with splenic infarction. Our report describes a case of massive splenomegaly causing pain in a different location compared to the normal anatomical location of the spleen with an unexpected cause, lymphoma. High clinical suspicion for lymphoma as a cause of splenic infarction is critical because this disease can otherwise be clinically silent. This case emphasizes the importance of a thorough clinical workup and persistence in diagnostic pursuit.
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