The Menacing Magnets: A Mimicker of Appendicitis that the General Radiologist should Keep in Mind

Abdominal pain is one of the most common complaints children present with to the emergency department. We present a case of a 5- year- old male who presented to the emergency department with complaints of right lower quadrant abdominal pain. Initial imaging evaluation was performed with ultrasound, as is often the first line for evaluation of acute appendicitis in the pediatric population. By recognizing the imaging findings of small bowel obstruction on ultrasound the radiologist raised concern warranting the need for further imaging evaluation with computed tomography (CT). CT then revealed magnets as being the cause of obstruction and perforation of the bowel. With the focus of reducing radiation exposure in children – it is important for the general radiologist to recognize imaging findings on ultrasound that should prompt further evaluation with ionizing radiation. Furthermore, the general radiologist should keep in mind the ingestion of magnets as an increasing cause of obstruction in the pediatric population.

Keywords: Foreign body ingestion, Magnets, Pediatric abdominal pain, obstruction.