A patient has sudden sharp pain on the right side of the abdomen. What might you suspect?

A patient has sudden sharp pain on the right side of the abdomen. What might you suspect?

• A. Appendicitis
• B. Ovarian torsion
• C. Cholecystitis
• D. Pancreatitis

Answer: (A)

Pain that localizes to the right lower quadrant is a strong indicator of appendicitis. The appendix sits in the RLQ, and inflammation typically causes the pain to shift from around the navel to that region, often accompanied by nausea, loss of appetite, and sometimes a low-grade fever. On exam, tenderness at a specific spot in the RLQ (McBurney’s point) with guarding or rebound tenderness fits the pattern of localized peritoneal irritation from an inflamed appendix. In an emergency setting, this prompts urgent transport and careful monitoring for signs of worsening or rupture. Other conditions can cause abdominal pain in nearby areas—for example, ovarian torsion presents with sudden, severe unilateral pelvic pain in women, cholecystitis with right upper quadrant pain after meals, and pancreatitis with epigastric pain radiating to the back—but the combination of sudden sharp RLQ pain with the described clinical picture most closely aligns with appendicitis.

Pain that localizes to the right lower quadrant is a strong indicator of appendicitis. The appendix sits in the RLQ, and inflammation typically causes the pain to shift from around the navel to that region, often accompanied by nausea, loss of appetite, and sometimes a low-grade fever. On exam, tenderness at a specific spot in the RLQ (McBurney’s point) with guarding or rebound tenderness fits the pattern of localized peritoneal irritation from an inflamed appendix. In an emergency setting, this prompts urgent transport and careful monitoring for signs of worsening or rupture. Other conditions can cause abdominal pain in nearby areas—for example, ovarian torsion presents with sudden, severe unilateral pelvic pain in women, cholecystitis with right upper quadrant pain after meals, and pancreatitis with epigastric pain radiating to the back—but the combination of sudden sharp RLQ pain with the described clinical picture most closely aligns with appendicitis.