title: Evaluating the Patient with Left Lower Quadrant Abdominal Pain.
abstract: Left lower quadrant pain is a frequent indication for imaging in the emergency department. Most causes of pain originate from the colon, including diverticulitis, colitis, fecal impaction, and epiploic appendagitis. Left-sided urolithiasis and spontaneous hemorrhage in the retroperitoneum or rectus sheath are additional causes of pain. Computed tomography is the preferred imaging modality in the emergent setting for all of these pathologic conditions. Gynecologic, testicular, and neoplastic pathology may also cause left lower quadrant pain but are not discussed in this article.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, 3815 Highland Avenue, Downers Grove, IL 60515, USA. Electronic address: nbodmer@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Nicholas A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Bodmer
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Evanston NorthShore University, 2650 Ridge Avenue, Evanston, IL 60201, USA.
authors.forename: Kiran H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Thakrar
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D003092:Colitis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D004238:Diverticulitis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D052878:Urolithiasis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*
keywords: Colitis; Diverticulitis; Epiploic appendagitis; Rectus sheath hematoma; Retroperitoneal hematoma; Stercoral perforation; Urolithiasis