Een kind met acute pijn rechts in de onderbuik

Acute abdominal pain in children is a commonly seen complaint in the first aid department. We here present a case of a 15-year-old Chinese boy diagnosed with a right-sided diverticulitis. Diverticulitis is a rare disease in children. Differentiating between an acute appendicitis and a right-sided diverticulitis is difficult. Symptoms and laboratory findings are often similar and acute appendicitis has a much higher incidence in children. In the Asian population, in contrast to the Western population, diverticulitis is primarily involving the caecum and ascending colon. Especially among younger males. Recognition of these epidemiologic differences, together with adequate imaging is important to diagnose diverticulitis in children. Early suspicion and interdisciplinary decision making is extremely important, especially in rare diagnoses such as this case, and could probably avoid unnecessary surgery. Therefore, diverticulitis should be considered in the diagnostic process in children presenting with acute abdominal pain.

Conflict of interest and financial support: none declared.