Omental infarction presenting as abdominal pain typical for cholecystitis

Abstract

To describe a patient who presented to a family medicine clinic with symptoms typical for cholecystitis, but eventually was diagnosed with omental infarction. A 37-year-old Caucasian man reported with right upper quadrant pain suspicious for cholecystitis. In light of negative abdominal ultrasound, computed tomography scan was performed, and omental infarction was identified. The patient was treated conservatively with a good outcome. Omental infarction is rarely described in medical literature, and it is often missed or misdiagnosed. There are increasing numbers of reports that describe omental infarction being diagnosed as various types of acute abdomen. With increased utilization of advanced imaging, omental infarction is being found to be responsible for presentations of the acute abdomen that were misdiagnosed. Proper diagnosis prevents invasive mismanagement and an unnecessarily prolonged hospital stay.