Clinical confounder: an incarcerated appendix masquerading as epididymitis.
BACKGROUND
Acute appendicitis can have various unusual presentations. Detection of this entity is often confounded by its presence in the company of symptoms consistent with distinctly different etiologies.


OBJECTIVE
This article highlights an extremely rare presentation of appendicitis.


METHODS
The case of a man presenting to an urban Emergency Department complaining of scrotal swelling and pain is discussed. On surgical exploration, the patient's symptomatology was diagnosed as acute appendicitis within an Amyand hernia.


CONCLUSIONS
Appendicitis can sometimes be a challenging diagnosis. Thorough examination and maintenance of a wide differential diagnosis with common complaints can assist the emergency physician in reaching the correct diagnosis.
Coleman
Keel
K
Department of Emergency Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Richmond, Virginia, USA.
Aurora
Taruna
T
Suri
Pawan
P
Hoffman
Robert J
RJ
D000208:Acute Disease; D001064:Appendicitis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004823:Epididymitis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006552:Hernia, Inguinal / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged