Ureteral Stone Mimics Appendicitis: A Point-of-care Ultrasound Case Report

Abdominal pain is a common complaint in the emergency department. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is a rapid modality to evaluate for the etiology.

A teenage male presented with symptoms concerning for appendicitis. POCUS revealed a non-peristalsing, non-compressible, tubular structure containing an echogenic stone. This was determined to be a ureteral stone within a dilated ureter, not appendicitis.

We propose a syndromic sonographic approach to right lower quadrant pain (RLQ) that includes the gallbladder, right kidney, bladder, and right adnexa, in addition to RLQ landmarks. This case emphasizes the value of such an approach to avoid diagnostic error.