Question

A 73-year-old woman presents with severe abdominal pain and a recent history of passing bloody stools. The pain began about 3 days ago and is more concentrated at the left side of the abdomen. Physical examination shows decreased-to-absent bowel sounds, abdominal distention, and diffuse tenderness to palpation over her abdomen. A barium-enema study is performed which shows "thumb-printing" of the colon. What is the diagnosis?

Answer 1

The elderly woman's symptoms of severe left-sided abdominal pain, decreased bowel sounds, abdominal distension, and thumb-printing of the colon on a barium enema study suggest she has diverticulitis.

Step-by-step explanation:

The 73-year-old woman who presents with severe abdominal pain and a recent history of passing bloody stools likely has a diagnosis of diverticulitis. The specific symptoms, including the pain concentrated on the left side of the abdomen, decreased bowel sounds, abdominal distension, diffuse tenderness, and the barium enema study demonstrating "thumb-printing" of the colon, are consistent with this condition. Diverticulitis is a result of inflammation and infection of the diverticula in the large intestine, and its prevalence increases with age, being more common in older adults.

The diagnosis for the 73-year-old woman presenting with severe abdominal pain, bloody stools, decreased-to-absent bowel sounds, abdominal distention, and diffuse tenderness is diverticulitis. Diverticulitis is a digestive disease characterized by infected and inflamed pouches in the wall of the large intestine. The thumb-printing appearance on the barium-enema study is a characteristic finding in diverticulitis.