Point-of-Care Ultrasound Diagnosis of a Crohn's Disease-Related Intraabdominal Abscess in the Emergency Department

Abstract

The emergency department (ED) diagnosis of Crohn's disease (CD)-associated complications is typically established with abdominopelvic computed tomography imaging. Ultrasonography has been suggested as an effective alternative modality for diagnosing several CD complications, including intraabdominal abscesses. We report the identification of a CD-related intraabdominal abscess by emergency physician (EP)-performed point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS). This case highlights the feasibility of EPs integrating POCUS into the clinical decision-making for patients with inflammatory bowel disease in the ED.

Keywords: crohn's disease; emergency department; inflammatory bowel disease; intraabdominal abscess; point-of-care ultrasound; ultrasonography.