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Abstract

Rib fractures secondary to cough are an uncommon cause of thoracic or abdominal pain in pregnancy. There is little in the literature describing this accidental phenomenon during pregnancy and why fractures occur so easily. In most cases, they are diagnosed fortuitously during the course of investigation for other more common causes of acute chest and upper abdominal pain. We report the case of a 38 year old, G11P5 who was 35 weeks pregnant, admitted with sudden onset right upper quadrant and right sided chest pain post coughing. This pain was caused by a 10th right rib fracture which was managed conservatively with analgesia. Despite numerous reviews, the fracture was not diagnosed. The patient also suffered a rib fracture on the contralateral side in a previous pregnancy.

Keywords: Abdominal pain,  Accidental phenomenon,  Antenatal cough-induced 

How to Cite: Balaba, K., (2017). Antenatal cough-induced rib fractures: an uncommon cause of upper abdominal pain. Sri Lanka Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 39(2), pp.38–39. DOI: http://doi.org/10.4038/sljog.v39i2.7813