A 40-year-old female with a BMI of 32 has colicky right upper quadrant pain worsening after eating fried food. What is the name of the finding when pain occurs in the right lower abdomen after pressing the left?

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Prepare for the LEIK Family Nurse Practitioner Exam. Study with flashcards and multiple choice questions, each question has hints and explanations. Get ready for your exam!

The finding when pain occurs in the right lower abdomen after pressing on the left is known as Rovsing's sign. This sign is indicative of appendicitis and involves referred pain, where palpation of the left side of the abdomen elicits pain in the right lower quadrant due to the shared nerve pathways associated with the visceral innervation of the appendix and surrounding structures.

In this scenario, the patient's right upper quadrant pain suggests a potential issue with the gallbladder, possibly cholecystitis or biliary colic. However, Rovsing's sign specifically assesses for irritation of the appendix, which makes it a classic test in the evaluation of appendicitis. The recognition of this sign helps guide the clinical assessment and decision-making regarding further diagnostic imaging or surgical intervention.

Other findings, such as rebound tenderness, typically indicate generalized peritoneal irritation rather than a specific structure, and Murphy's sign is used to evaluate gallbladder inflammation. The psoas test assesses for irritation of the psoas muscle and may be relevant in appendicitis but does not reflect the same specific phenomenon described by Rovsing's sign. Understanding these differentiations is crucial for proper diagnosis and management of abdominal pain in clinical practice.

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