Case 18-2005: A 45-Year-Old Woman with a Painful Mass in the Abdomen

A 45-year-old woman noted a mass in her lower abdomen that was intermittently painful. An examination disclosed a slightly tender mass, 4 cm in diameter, on the right side of the lower abdomen. Imaging studies showed a solid mass in the right lower abdominal wall. A diagnostic procedure was performed. A 45-year-old woman noted a mass in her lower abdomen that was intermittently painful. Imaging studies showed a solid mass in the right lower abdominal wall. Presentation of Case A 45-year-old woman was admitted to this hospital with a painful abdominal mass. She had first noticed a mass in her lower abdomen on the right side two and a half years earlier. There was intermittent severe pain at the site that occurred approximately once a month and lasted four to five days; it was worse during some months than others. She described the pain as feeling “like a hot brick.” Five weeks before admission, she came to the surgical clinic of this hospital for further evaluation. A slightly tender mass, 4 cm in diameter, was palpated . . .