Hematocolpos secondary to imperforate hymen presenting with acute abdominal pain and misdiagnosed as appendicitis

Hematocolpos secondary to imperforate hymen presenting with acute abdominal pain and misdiagnosed as appendicitis

Author Info

Corresponding Author
Rebecca Lovell
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Queen Victoria Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 4LP, UK

A B S T R A C T

Imperforate hymen is a rare congenital malformation that usually presents in adolescence with primary amenorrhoea and pain or pressure-related symptoms from haematocolpos. We present the case of an 11- year-old girl who presented as a surgical emergency with acute abdominal pain. A laparoscopy was performed for suspected appendicitis, but she was subsequently found to have a haematocolpos secondary to imperforate hymen. This case illustrates the challenges in making the diagnosis. The literature contains numerous cases where the diagnosis has been delayed, and we discuss those that also presented as possible appendicitis. These cases highlight the importance of awareness of the condition amongst general surgeons and emergency physicians, and the role of external genital examination and ultrasonography prior to surgical intervention.

Article Info

Article Type
Case Report & Literature Review
Publication history
Received: Fri 16, Nov 2018
Accepted: Thu 29, Nov 2018
Published: Tue 18, Dec 2018
Copyright
© 2023 Rebecca Lovell. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Hosting by Science Repository.
DOI: 10.31487/j.SCR.2018.03.020