Free BCEN Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) Practice Question

The correct answer is 'Cyclic vomiting syndrome,' as the patient's symptoms of recurrent intense vomiting episodes with severe migraines, especially in a patient who experiences these symptoms episodically and in the absence of abdominal pathology on examination, are highly suggestive of this syndrome. 'Gastroenteritis,' while also presenting with vomiting, usually involves diarrhoea and is not typically a recurrent, cyclical event. 'Cholecystitis' involves pain in the right upper quadrant or epigastric area and typically does not present with migraines. 'Acute abdomen' is a broader term to describe any severe abdominal pain that requires urgent medical and often surgical attention, but without the recurrent pattern.