An uncommon cause of epigastric pain in a child: falciform ligament appendigitis

Abstract

Falciform ligament is a double fold of the peritoneum which has fat attached to it. The torsion of this fat leads to appendigitis which is a rare cause of acute severe epigastric pain. A 7-year-old boy presented with severe epigastric pain and vomiting of 3 days duration with associated epigastric tenderness. Ultrasound showed echogenic mass lesion adjacent to falciform ligament without color flow with associated thickening of the ligament which resolved after 01 week on follow up visit. Falciform ligament appendigitis is a rare cause of epigastric pain in the general spopulation and in pediatrics age group which should be considered in appropriate clinical setup. Early suggestion of falciform ligament appendigitis by a radiologist can help to avoid unnecessary surgeries as the clinical picture of this benign process overlaps with other surgical emergencies.