Persisting abdominal pain in an 11-year-old without an appendix

Abstract

An 11-year-old boy presented with colicky abdominal pain of 3 months duration, increasing in frequency and intensity. He had undergone appendicectomy 1 month before admission because of worsening abdominal symptoms. A catarrhal appendix was removed, and mild enlargement of mesenteric glands was noted. Symptoms did not resolve, and shortly before admission in November, 1993, the boy became severely ill with vomiting and bloody stools. Clinical history revealed that 2 years earlier he had an episode of persistent abdominal pain associated with anorexia and slight fever lasting 1 month.