Acute abdomen: Difference between revisions
Created page with "Acute abdomen refers to acute onset abdominal pain. There’s a large number of conditions which can cause acute abdomen, and so knowing the differential diagnosis and investigations to distinguish them is important. The presence of typical risk factors, gender, and age for a specific cause can also help the diagnosis, and so knowing these is important as well. It’s important to remember that atypical presentations exist, of course. == Life-threatening conditions == I..." |
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!Cholecystitis | !Cholecystitis | ||
|Patient with the 6 Fs | | rowspan="3" |Patient with the 6 Fs | ||
|Steady, severe RUQ or epigastric pain, positive Murphy sign | |Steady, severe RUQ or epigastric pain, positive Murphy sign | ||
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!Cholelithiasis | !Cholelithiasis | ||
|Intense, dull, constant RUQ or epigastric discomfort, sweating, nausea, vomiting | |Intense, dull, constant RUQ or epigastric discomfort, sweating, nausea, vomiting | ||
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!Cholangitis | !Cholangitis | ||
|Charcot’s triad of fever, RUQ abdominal pain, jaundice | |Charcot’s triad of fever, RUQ abdominal pain, jaundice | ||
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!Acute pancreatitis | !Acute pancreatitis | ||
|Patient with alcoholism, | |Patient with alcoholism, gallstone risk factors, or known hypertriglyceridaemia | ||
|RUQ or epigastric pain, band-like radiation to the back, nausea, vomiting | |RUQ or epigastric pain, band-like radiation to the back, nausea, vomiting | ||
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=== History and physical examination === | === History and physical examination === | ||
The patient’s history and physical examination should be taken. Characterisation of the timing and features of the pain is especially important. It’s important to recognise features suggestive of severe disease, like severe, opioid-refractory pain, haemodynamic instability, sudden onset pain, and signs of peritonitis. Care should be made in elderly, where typical signs of the specific diseases may be absent, and severe disease may present without findings of severe disease. | The patient’s history and physical examination should be taken. Characterisation of the timing and features of the pain is especially important. It’s important to recognise features suggestive of severe disease, like severe, opioid-refractory pain, haemodynamic instability, sudden onset pain, and signs of peritonitis. Care should be made in elderly, where typical signs of the specific diseases may be absent, and severe disease may present without findings of severe disease. | ||
== References == | |||
[[Category:Gastrointestinal surgery]] | [[Category:Gastrointestinal surgery]] | ||