[A preschooler with abdominal pain in the right lower quadrant].

A 5-year-old boy with acute abdominal pain in the right lower quadrant and fever underwent open appendectomy following clinical observation and serial equivocal ultrasound. During exploration we encountered a normal-looking appendix but multiple enlarged mesenteric lymph nodes, suggestive of mesenteric lymphadenitis. The boy had an uneventful postoperative course and recovered completely.