There is a very small but important finding in this patient with acute abdominal pain: What is it?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is a good case to reinforce the concept that one has to actively look for things on radiologic images. Just looking "at" this radiograph, a student might not notice the appendicolith finding. With a standard differential diagnosis for acute abdominal pain, including appendicitis (the pain of appendicitis is not always in the right lower quadrant, so it should always be the list even for generalized abdominal pain), and if the student remembers that a radiologic finding of acute appendicitis is an appendicolith, then it is much more likely that the student will see the abnormal calcification in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen. The calcification is too low for the gallbladder. There is no dilated colon or free intraperitoneal air shown.

There Is a Very Small but Important Finding in This