Subhepatic appendicitis in a 27-year-old male: a case report from Odahulle General Hospital of Ethiopia
The appendix is a small, tube-shaped organ that connects to the cecum, the beginning of the large intestine. Though its role is unknown, it can become infected, resulting in acute appendicitis, which, if not detected and treated early, can lead to serious consequences. Though the symptoms and signs...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Gastroenterology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgstr.2024.1503818/full |
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| author | Abduletif Haji Ababor Abagojam Abduletif Haji Ababor Abagojam Remedan Jemal Dekema Tamirat Godebo Woyimo Jafer Yasin Mohammed Kedir Negesso Tukeni |
| author_facet | Abduletif Haji Ababor Abagojam Abduletif Haji Ababor Abagojam Remedan Jemal Dekema Tamirat Godebo Woyimo Jafer Yasin Mohammed Kedir Negesso Tukeni |
| author_sort | Abduletif Haji Ababor Abagojam |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The appendix is a small, tube-shaped organ that connects to the cecum, the beginning of the large intestine. Though its role is unknown, it can become infected, resulting in acute appendicitis, which, if not detected and treated early, can lead to serious consequences. Though the symptoms and signs of acute appendicitis are straightforward in most cases, atypical locations might result in unexpected presentations, which can lead to complications as it might not be detected and treated early. This case report describes a 27-year-old Black Ethiopian male patient who presented with right upper abdominal pain, low-grade fever, palpitations, and diarrhea. He also had some episodes of vomiting of ingested matter. Upon physical examination, the patient appeared acutely sick with some degree of tachycardia. An abdominal examination revealed right upper abdominal quadrant tenderness, though there was no palpable mass noted. Laboratory investigations were unremarkable apart from the stool examinations which revealed many pus and red blood cells and was full of actively motile bacteria. An abdominal ultrasound showed an enlarged subhepatic appendix with an internal fecalith 1 cm in depth, that was partially compressible, with no obvious peri appendiceal free fluid or other pathology. An assessment of subhepatic acute appendicitis was suspected and an emergency operation was conducted which revealed an inflamed subhepatic appendix that was on the verge of rupture. At a subsequent follow-up, the patient had significantly improved as evidenced by the lack of symptoms including abdominal pain, fever, and palpitation. Subhepatic appendix is a rare condition caused by either the non-descent of the cecum or intestinal malrotation during early development. As its presentation is not classical and hence mimics other pathologies, the diagnosis may be overlooked, resulting in perforation and abscess formation and leading to increased morbidity and possibly mortality. A high level of suspicion is required for early diagnosis and treatment to improve patient outcomes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-54a66cb551a14c7fbb2bfcc7ec49060f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2813-1169 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Gastroenterology |
| spelling | doaj-art-54a66cb551a14c7fbb2bfcc7ec49060f2025-01-14T06:10:36ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Gastroenterology2813-11692025-01-01310.3389/fgstr.2024.15038181503818Subhepatic appendicitis in a 27-year-old male: a case report from Odahulle General Hospital of EthiopiaAbduletif Haji Ababor Abagojam0Abduletif Haji Ababor Abagojam1Remedan Jemal Dekema2Tamirat Godebo Woyimo3Jafer Yasin Mohammed4Kedir Negesso Tukeni5Department of Surgery, Jimma University, Jimma, EthiopiaDepartment of Surgery, Odahulle General Hospital, Jimma, EthiopiaDepartment of Internal Medicine, Jimma University, Jimma, EthiopiaDepartment of Internal Medicine, Jimma University, Jimma, EthiopiaDepartment of Surgery, Odahulle General Hospital, Jimma, EthiopiaDepartment of Internal Medicine, Jimma University, Jimma, EthiopiaThe appendix is a small, tube-shaped organ that connects to the cecum, the beginning of the large intestine. Though its role is unknown, it can become infected, resulting in acute appendicitis, which, if not detected and treated early, can lead to serious consequences. Though the symptoms and signs of acute appendicitis are straightforward in most cases, atypical locations might result in unexpected presentations, which can lead to complications as it might not be detected and treated early. This case report describes a 27-year-old Black Ethiopian male patient who presented with right upper abdominal pain, low-grade fever, palpitations, and diarrhea. He also had some episodes of vomiting of ingested matter. Upon physical examination, the patient appeared acutely sick with some degree of tachycardia. An abdominal examination revealed right upper abdominal quadrant tenderness, though there was no palpable mass noted. Laboratory investigations were unremarkable apart from the stool examinations which revealed many pus and red blood cells and was full of actively motile bacteria. An abdominal ultrasound showed an enlarged subhepatic appendix with an internal fecalith 1 cm in depth, that was partially compressible, with no obvious peri appendiceal free fluid or other pathology. An assessment of subhepatic acute appendicitis was suspected and an emergency operation was conducted which revealed an inflamed subhepatic appendix that was on the verge of rupture. At a subsequent follow-up, the patient had significantly improved as evidenced by the lack of symptoms including abdominal pain, fever, and palpitation. Subhepatic appendix is a rare condition caused by either the non-descent of the cecum or intestinal malrotation during early development. As its presentation is not classical and hence mimics other pathologies, the diagnosis may be overlooked, resulting in perforation and abscess formation and leading to increased morbidity and possibly mortality. A high level of suspicion is required for early diagnosis and treatment to improve patient outcomes.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgstr.2024.1503818/fullsubhepatic appendixatypical acute appendicitisacute abdomenappendectomy, surgeryappendix locationOdahulle General Hospital |
| spellingShingle | Abduletif Haji Ababor Abagojam Abduletif Haji Ababor Abagojam Remedan Jemal Dekema Tamirat Godebo Woyimo Jafer Yasin Mohammed Kedir Negesso Tukeni Subhepatic appendicitis in a 27-year-old male: a case report from Odahulle General Hospital of Ethiopia Frontiers in Gastroenterology subhepatic appendix atypical acute appendicitis acute abdomen appendectomy, surgery appendix location Odahulle General Hospital |
| title | Subhepatic appendicitis in a 27-year-old male: a case report from Odahulle General Hospital of Ethiopia |
| title_full | Subhepatic appendicitis in a 27-year-old male: a case report from Odahulle General Hospital of Ethiopia |
| title_fullStr | Subhepatic appendicitis in a 27-year-old male: a case report from Odahulle General Hospital of Ethiopia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Subhepatic appendicitis in a 27-year-old male: a case report from Odahulle General Hospital of Ethiopia |
| title_short | Subhepatic appendicitis in a 27-year-old male: a case report from Odahulle General Hospital of Ethiopia |
| title_sort | subhepatic appendicitis in a 27 year old male a case report from odahulle general hospital of ethiopia |
| topic | subhepatic appendix atypical acute appendicitis acute abdomen appendectomy, surgery appendix location Odahulle General Hospital |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgstr.2024.1503818/full |
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