Acute appendicitis presenting as acute left scrotal pain: diagnostic considerations

Area of Science:

• Medicine
• Surgery
• Urology

Background:

• Appendicitis is a common surgical emergency.
• Scrotal pain can indicate various urgent conditions, including testicular torsion.

Observation:

• A patient presented with acute left scrotal pain.
• The pain was later diagnosed as originating from acute perforated appendicitis.

Findings:

• This is the first reported case of acute perforated appendicitis presenting with acute left scrotal pain.
• The case also featured a false positive radionuclide scrotal scan for testicular torsion, a novel finding.

Implications:

• Clinicians should consider appendicitis in the differential diagnosis of acute scrotal pain, especially in atypical presentations.
• This case underscores the importance of thorough diagnostic evaluation to avoid misdiagnosis of testicular torsion.