Abdominal Pain Mimics

Epiploic Appendagitis Mimicking Acute Appendicitis: An Osteopathic Case Report

Acute epiploic appendagitis is a rare cause of abdominal pain, often misdiagnosed as acute appendicitis or diverticulitis given similar clinical presentation and findings. The treatment is supportive care and is typically self-limited. The osteopathic structural exam can give insight into pathology and in this case, was suggestive of a non-appendiceal origin of her pain, in which emergent surgery could be avoided. Requiring computerized tomography to identify, acute epiploic appendagitis is a rare cause of abdominal pain and should be considered in the differential diagnosis.

Epilepsy and the gut: Perpetrator or victim?

The brain and the gut are linked together with a complex, bi-path link known as the gut-brain axis through the central and enteric nervous systems. So, the brain directly affects and controls the gut through various neurocrine and endocrine processes, and the gut impacts the brain via different mechanisms. Epilepsy is a central nervous system (CNS) disorder with abnormal brain activity, causing repeated seizures due to a transient excessive or synchronous alteration in the brain’s electrical activity. Due to the strong relationship between the enteric and the CNS, gastrointestinal dysfunction may increase the risk of epilepsy. Meanwhile, about 2.5% of patients with epilepsy were misdiagnosed as having gastrointestinal disorders, especially in children below the age of one year. Gut dysbiosis also has a significant role in epileptogenesis. Epilepsy, in turn, affects the gastrointestinal tract in different forms, such as abdominal aura, epilepsy with abdominal pain, and the adverse effects of medications on the gut and the gut microbiota. Epilepsy with abdominal pain, a type of temporal lobe epilepsy, is an uncommon cause of abdominal pain. Epilepsy also can present with postictal states with gastrointestinal manifestations such as postictal hypersalivation, hyperphagia, or compulsive water drinking. At the same time, antiseizure medications have many gastrointestinal side effects. On the other hand, some antiseizure medications may improve some gastrointestinal diseases. Many gut manipulations were used successfully to manage epilepsy. Prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, postbiotics, a ketogenic diet, fecal microbiota transplantation, and vagus nerve stimulation were used successfully to treat some patients with epilepsy. Other manipulations, such as omental transposition, still need more studies. This narrative review will discuss the different ways the gut and epilepsy affect each other.

Practical Aspects of the Use of Telematic Systems in the Diagnosis of Acute Coronary Syndrome in Poland

Background and Objectives: The guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) recommend the use of telematic methods in the diagnosis of myocardial infarction, allowing for transtelephonic electrocardiography (TTECG) from the emergency scene to centers performing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI center). It has been proven that such a procedure has a beneficial effect on the survival of patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Fewer data can be found on the correct use of these methods in everyday clinical practice. The aim of this study was to indicate potential indications and contraindications for the use of the TTECG system, and provide recommendations for proper collaboration between emergency medical systems (EMS) teams and PCI centers. Materials and Methods: The article is a systematic review of cardiological emergencies, with an assessment of indications for the use of the TTECG system. The authors introduced their own grading of the validity of indications for transmission of the TTECG, similar to those used in the official ESC guidelines.: Results:: The authors described individual cardiological emergencies occurring in the practice of EMS, considering specific indications or contraindications for the transmission of the TTECG. The article also discusses individual practical recommendations for proper cooperation between EMS teams and PCI centers in detail. All of the recommendations are compiled in a handy table to facilitate its use in everyday clinical practice. Conclusions: The summary presents a comparison of the realities of the functioning of the telematic support system in Poland in the field of STEMI diagnostics, with the model’s recommendations. The necessity of further educating the members of individual teams included in the network dealing with STEMI treatment was indicated, as well as the necessity of introducing legal regulations sanctioning the functioning of telematic systems in modern medicine.

Acute abdominal pain in triage: A retrospective observational study of the Manchester triage system's validity

OBJECTIVE

Roughly 5% to 10% of patients admitted to the emergency department suffer from acute abdominal pain. Triage plays a key role in patient stratification, identifying patients who need prompt treatment versus those who can safely wait. In this regard, the aim of this study was to estimate the performance of the Manchester Triage System in classifying patients with acute abdominal pain.

METHODS

A total of 9,851 patients admitted at the Emergency Department of the Merano Hospital with acute abdominal pain were retrospectively enrolled between 1 January 2017 and 30 June 2019. The study was conducted and reported according to the STROBE statement. The sensitivity and specificity of the Manchester Triage System were estimated by verifying the triage classification received by the patients and their survival at seven days or the need for acute surgery within 72 h after emergency department access.

RESULTS

Among the patients with acute abdominal pain (median age 50 years), 0.4% died within seven days and 8.9% required surgery within 72 hours. The sensitivity was 44.7% (29.9-61.5), specificity was 95.4% (94.9-95.8), and negative predictive value was 99.7% (99.2-100) in relation to death at seven days.

CONCLUSIONS

The Manchester Triage System shows good specificity and negative predictive value. However, its sensitivity was low due to the amount of incorrect triage prediction in patients with high-priority codes (red/orange), suggesting overtriage in relation to seven-day mortality. This may be a protective measure for the patient. In contrast, the need for acute surgery within 72 h was affected by under-triage.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

The triage nurse using Manchester Triage System can correctly prioritise the majority of patients with acute abdominal pain, especially in low acuity patients. The Manchester Triage System is safe and does not underestimate the severity of the patients.

Rare presentation of community acquired pneumonia resulted in laparoscopic intervention in adult. Case Report

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CAP can be a challenging diagnosis, with a presentation of acute abdominal pain mimicking a surgical abdomen.

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In pediatric patients pneumonia is considered as the main extra-abdominal cause of acute abdominal pain.

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Abdominal Pain mimics is an entity by itself with a vast differential diagnosis.

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Acute abdomen requires precise and rapid diagnosis and treatment to avoid an increase in mortality.

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Laparoscopy is safe and effective in setting the diagnosis.

Introduction

Community acquired pneumonia usually presents with typical clinical and radiological signs allowing for a quick diagnosis. Nevertheless, pneumonia can infrequently mimic acute abdominal pathologies, leading to invasive unnecessary procedures.

Presentation of case

We report a case of a 44-year-old man, previously healthy, admitted with a diagnosis of a surgical abdomen, investigated with an exploratory laparoscopy after inconclusive imaging and failure of improvement. Clinical evolution revealed the diagnosis of pneumonia.

Discussion

Community acquired pneumonia is a frequently encountered condition. While its clinical presentation is usually related to the respiratory system, extrapulmonary manifestations, including abdominal pain in the pediatric population, are well documented. However, solely severe acute abdominal pain, being as the major presentation, without respiratory symptoms or radiological signs is very rarely reported.

Conclusion

Community acquired pneumonia can sometimes be a challenging diagnosis. Acute abdominal pain mimicking a surgical abdomen is an infrequent presentation but can confuse physicians when no radiological or clinical signs of pneumonia are present.

Abdominal pain during the menopause transition and early postmenopause: observations from the Seattle Midlife Women's Health Study

Objective

To assess the relationship between abdominal pain severity during the menopausal transition (MT) and age, MT stage, reproductive biomarkers, stress biomarkers, and stress perceptions.

Methods

Women ages 35-55 were recruited from multiethnic neighborhoods in the greater Seattle area from 1990 to 1992, for an original study cohort of 508. From 1990 to 2013, a subset of this cohort consented to ongoing annual data collection by annual health questionnaire, health diary, and daily menstrual calendar. Beginning in 1997, a portion of these women also provided a first morning voided urine specimen to be assayed for levels of estrone glucuronide (E₁G), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone, cortisol, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. To identify how changes in abdominal pain severity changed over time in relation to age, MT stage, reproductive biomarkers, stress-related biomarkers, and stress-related perceptions, mixed effects modeling was used.

Results

In a univariate model, E₁G (p = 0.02) and testosterone (p = 0.02) were significantly and negatively related to abdominal pain severity, while perceived stress (p = 0.06), tension (p <  0.001), and anxiety (p <  0.001) were significantly and positively associated. In a multivariate model, increasing age (p = 0.001) and E₁G (p = 0.04) were negatively associated with abdominal pain severity, and anxiety (p = 0.00) positively associated. Testosterone did not improve the fit to the final model, nor did tension or perceived stress.

Conclusions

These results suggest that age, anxiety, and E₁G each show a significant association with abdominal pain severity in the MT. In contrast, stress perception, tension, testosterone, stress biomarkers, and MT stage do not. These factors should be evaluated further in research on abdominal pain experienced during the MT and early postmenopause years.

Care of Acute Gastrointestinal Conditions in the Observation Unit

The Emergency Department Observation Unit (EDOU) provides a viable alternative to inpatient admission for the management of many acute gastrointestinal conditions with additional opportunities of reducing resource utilization and reducing radiation exposure. Using available evidence-based criteria to determine appropriate patient selection, evaluation, and treatment provides higher-quality medical care and improved patient satisfaction. Discussions of factors involved in creating an EDOU capable of caring for acute gastrointestinal conditions and clinical protocol examples of acute appendicitis, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, and acute pancreatitis provide a framework from which a successful EDOU can be built.

Epidemiology and outcomes of acute abdominal pain in a large urban Emergency Department: retrospective analysis of 5,340 cases

BACKGROUND

Acute abdominal pain (AAP) accounts for 7-10% of all Emergency Department (ED) visits. Nevertheless, the epidemiology of AAP in the ED is scarcely known. The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiology and the outcomes of AAP in an adult population admitted to an urban ED.

METHODS

We made a retrospective analysis of all records of ED visits for AAP during the year 2014. All the patients with repeated ED admissions for AAP within 5 and 30 days were scrutinized. Five thousand three hundred and forty cases of AAP were analyzed.

RESULTS

The mean age was 49 years. The most frequent causes were nonspecific abdominal pain (NSAP) (31.46%), and renal colic (31.18%). Biliary colic/cholecystitis, and diverticulitis were more prevalent in patients aged >65 years (13.17% vs. 5.95%, and 7.28% vs. 2.47%, respectively). Appendicitis (i.e., 4.54% vs. 1.47%) and renal colic (34.48% vs. 20.84%) were more frequent in patients aged <65 years. NSAP was the most common cause in both age classes. Renal colic was the most frequent cause of ED admission in men, whereas NSAP was more prevalent in women. Urinary tract infection was higher in women. Overall, 885 patients (16.57%) were hospitalized. Four hundred and eighty-five patients had repeated ED visits throughout the study period. Among these, 302 patients (6.46%) were readmitted within 30 days, whereas 187 patients (3.82%) were readmitted within 5 days. Renal colic was the first cause for ED readmission, followed by NSAP. In 13 cases readmitted to the ED within 5 days, and in 16 cases readmitted between 5-30 days the diagnosis was changed.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study showed that AAP represented 5.76% of total ED visits. Two conditions (i.e., NSAP and renal colic) represented >60% of all causes. A large use of active clinical observations during ED stay (52% of our patients) lead to a negligible percentage of changing diagnosis at the second visit.