title: Acute retrocaecal appendicitis: a case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acute abdomen is a clinical diagnosis and not a definitive one. The use of ultrasound in management and diagnosis of acute abdomen is rarely invoked in our environment. The importance of definite diagnosis in surgical and medical management cannot be overemphasized
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To report a case of ultrasound diagnosis of retrocaecal appendicitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A nine-year-old male child presented with vomiting, vague abdominal pain, diarrhoea, and fever, which led to the following differential diagnoses; acute food poison gastro-enteritis, typhoid enteritis, malaria and acute appendicitis. He was investigated along these lines. He had abdominal ultrasonography and CT scan .
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ultrasound showed evidence of acute appendicitis. The findings on CT and surgery confirmed the diagnosis. Post-operatively, he made uneventful recovery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of ultrasound in acute abdomen is rarely invoked in our environment which may lead to unquantifiable consequences both in management and complications.
authors: Department of Radiology, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria. tmarchie2000@yahoo.com
authors: T T
authors: TT
authors: Marchie
authors: O
authors: O
authors: Ehimwenma
mesh_terms: D000006:Abdomen, Acute / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D001062:Appendectomy; D001064:Appendicitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014463:Ultrasonography