A patient presents with severe right lower quadrant pain and exhibits pain when extending the right leg. Which finding helps differentiate the likely diagnosis?

In the scenario described, a patient with severe right lower quadrant pain and pain upon extending the right leg is likely being evaluated for appendicitis or other conditions that cause similar symptoms, such as an ovarian cyst or ectopic pregnancy.

The choice indicating that the patient's bowel habits are normal is significant because it helps to rule out gastrointestinal conditions such as intestinal obstruction or diverticulitis, which often accompany changes in bowel habits. In appendicitis, for instance, it is common for bowel habits to be affected. Therefore, if bowel habits are normal, it becomes more suggestive that the pain is due to a non-gastrointestinal cause or simply an inflammatory process localized to the appendix.

While the other findings can indicate the presence of inflammation and associated symptoms typical of appendicitis or other acute abdominal conditions, they do not help distinguish the diagnosis as clearly as the normalization of bowel habits does. Normal bowel habits point towards a diagnosis that is less likely to involve the gastrointestinal tract, thereby helping to narrow down the potential conditions affecting the patient.