The Australian and New Zealand journal of surgery
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Review Case Reports
Misdiagnosis of appendicitis in tubally sterilized women.
Sterilization by tubal occlusive methods has a small but definite incidence of failure which is not well recognized among general surgeons. As a result of the failure to appreciate the possibility of ectopic pregnancy after tubal ligation, right-sided abdominal pain in this patient population is commonly misdiagnosed as appendicitis. One such case is presented, and the literature is reviewed and discussed.