Sentinel loop - acute appendicitis
Presentation
Abdominal right lower quadrant pain and tenderness.
Patient Data
Age: 30 years
Gender: Male
From the case:
Sentinel loop - acute appendicitis
X-ray
Upright frontal
Focal area of adynamic ileus close to the appendix location.
Case Discussion
Focal area of adynamic ileus close to the appendix location at right lower quadrant in a patient with abdominal pain and tenderness is compatible with a sentinel loop due to acute appendicitis.
The other common scenario in which a sentinel loop is observed is in acute pancreatitis, the adynamic loop occurring adjacent to potentially any inflamed structure.