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TO THE EDITOR: A 27-year-old woman presented with a two-day history of right upper quadrant (RUQ) pain four days after giving birth to her first child. She had a spontaneous vaginal delivery after labor induction for post-dates. On the second postpartum day, she had an episode of severe right-sided abdominal pain after bending over. This pain resolved and she was discharged later that day with normal vital signs and laboratory results. She presented to the emergency department with worsening RUQ pain (now described as 10/10 on a pain scale), intermittent shortness of breath, and lower extremity edema. Vital signs were notable only for mild tachycardia, with pulse oximetry of 95 percent on room air. Radiographs showed RUQ gas with an air fluid level, as well as a right pleural effusion and basilar opacity. Abdominal/pelvic computed tomography showed abnormal fluid collection in the subdiaphragmatic, lateral subhepatic, and capsular regions extending into the right paracolic gutter (see accompanying figure). The appendix was not visualized, and the uterus was consistent with her postpartum state. A ruptured appendix was suspected, and found upon laparotomy, along with a large abscess extending up the right gutter to the diaphragm. The incision was left open, and closed six days later. A peritoneal fluid culture grew a mixture of gram positive and negative and anaerobic organisms. She was discharged with antibiotics and recovered.