Omental Infarction, a Rare Case of Abdominal Pain: A Case Report and Literature Revue

Abstract

Omental infarction is a rare cause of acute abdomen resulting from vascular compromise of the greater omentum. This condition has a non-specific clinical presentation that mimics other causes of acute abdomen, namely, acute appendicitis and cholecystitis. A confident diagnosis can usually be made on computed tomography (CT) and the typical natural history is one of spontaneous resolution. We present a case of a 59-year-old female patient, who has undergone surgery twice for a white line hernia, with the most recent operation having been performed one year ago. She presented to the emergency department with recent worsening of chronic abdominal pain. Omental infarction should be included in the differential diagnosis list of acute abdominal pain because it can occur at any site. In addition, because this disease runs a self-limited course, conservative care is recommended. Thus, unnecessary operations can be avoided in cases where omental infarction is diagnosed by imaging studies.