Laparoscopic diagnosis and treatment of idiopathic segmental infarction of the greater omentum

Abstract

Acute pain at the right side of the abdomen rarely is caused by idiopathic segmental infarction of the greater omentum (ISIGO). In most cases the patient is presumed to suffer from appendicitis or cholecystitis. Although some radiologic signs might suggest ISIGO, this rare clinical entity mostly is diagnosed perioperatively and confirmed by postoperative pathologic findings. In the reported case, a patient is described with acute right-side abdominal pain of unknown origin, in whom ISIGO was encountered during diagnostic laparoscopy and successfully resected. Because of this minimally invasive approach, the patient was discharged the day after surgery and returned to work after 5 days. The pathogenesis, symptoms, and treatment methods are discussed.