A previously healthy man had a carcinoid tumor that caused obstruction and dilatation of the appendiceal lumen, with subsequent inflammation of the appendix. He had acute pain in the lower right abdomen, loss of appetite, constipation, pyrexia, and an increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate without leukocytosis. Although his clinical signs and symptoms subsided, the persistent pathologic finding of a large dilated appendix at examination with ultrasound warranted surgery, which, with microscopy, established the correct diagnosis.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.