Published online Oct 16, 2021. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v9.i29.8782
Peer-review started: June 7, 2021
First decision: June 25, 2021
Revised: July 5, 2021
Accepted: August 2, 2021
Article in press: August 2, 2021
Published online: October 16, 2021
Processing time: 130 Days and 2.2 Hours
Acute appendicitis is one of the most common acute abdominal emergencies around the world, which is always associated with infection. Infection with Salmonella typhi, an enteric pathogen, is a rare cause of acute appendicitis. We here report a patient with acute appendicitis associated with Samonella typhi infection, accompanied with spleen and kidney infarction, providing a rare example for a common surgical emergency.
A 25-year-old Pakistani man presented to the hospital with a 3-d history of fevers, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Computed tomography (CT) revealed a thickened intestinal wall of the ileocecal junction with multiple enlarged lymph nodes nearby. He was diagnosed with acute appendicitis and received laparoscopic appendectomy, which showed mild inflammation of the appendix. After the surgery, the patient presented again with a high fever (> 39 °C) and diarrhea. A CT angiography scan indicated spleen and kidney infarction. According to the blood culture, the diagnosis was finally clear to be Samonella typhi infection. The pyrexia and enteric symptoms were relieved after the application of intravenous levofloxacin.
This case, characterized by the combination of Salmonella typhi infection, acute appendicitis, and renal and splenic infraction, serves as a rare example for a common surgical emergency.
Core Tip: Acute appendicitis is one of the most common acute abdominal emergencies around the world, which is always associated with infection. Infection with Salmonella typhi, an enteric pathogen, is a rare cause of acute appendicitis. We here report a patient with acute appendicitis associated with Samonella typhi infection, accompanied by spleen and kidney infarction, providing a rare example for a common surgical emergency. This case might remind emergency doctors that the etiology of appendicitis needs to be clarified to give appropriate treatment to patients with appendicitis.