1B abdominal pain Flashcards
What symptom do most intra-abdominal diseases present with alone?
Pain- so a careful history is never wasted
What are the 2 most significant properties of the pain?
- Site
- Character
- If you know these you have a good chance of making the correct diagnosis
What framework do we use to ask patients about pain?
SOCRATES
- Site- where is it?
- Onset- has it come on suddenly or gradually?
- Character- what is the pain like? Is it burning? Colicky (sharp, localised)? Aching?
- Radiation- where does it go to?
- Association- is it associated with vomiting? Fever?
- Time course- have they had that pain before?
- Exacerbating or relieving factors- what makes it better? What makes it worse?
- Severity- how bad is it e.g. /10?
What are the 2 main ways of marking surface anatomy for site of pain?
- Abdominopelvic regions
- Abdominopelvic quadrants
What organs is each region responsible for?
There is a big crossover between the 2 regions- a lot of people say they have biliary-colic pain but its epigastric. If not sure, endoscopy is good to check.
What are the vertical and horizontal lines passing through?
Umbilicus
What organ structures are found at the transpyloric plane?
L1
- Pylorus of stomach
- Neck of pancreas
- Fundus of gallbladder
- Renal hilum of left kidney (right kidney is pushed down a bit by liver)
- Duodenojejunal flexure
- End of spinal cord in adult
What organ structures are found at the subcostal plane and supracristal plane respectively?
Subcostal plane- L3
- Origin of inferior mesenteric artery
Supracristal plane- L4
- Bifurcation of the aorta
What is the foregut made of?
Distal oesophagus → proximal half of 2nd part of duodenum
What innervates the pain in the foregut?
T5-T9
What pain is the foregut the site of?
Epigastrium
What is the midgut made of?
Distal half of 2nd part of duodenum → proximal 2/3 of transverse colon
What innervates the pain in the midgut?
T10 and T11
What pain is the midgut the site of?
Umbilical
What is the hindgut made of?
Distal 1/3 of transverse colon → rectum
What innervates the pain in the hindgut?
L1 and L2
What pain is the hindgut the site of?
Hypogastrium
Describe the blood supply of the abdomen
What is the parietal peritoneum?
Covering of abdominal wall anteriorly + covering of abdominal cavity posteriorly
What is visceral peritoneum?
- Peritoneum covering organs
- Liver peritoneum, colon peritoneum
What is special about the pancreas and duodenum?
They’re both retroperitoneal structures (not acc inside abdomen)
What nerves supply the parietal peritoneum?
Phrenic nerves that supply sensation from central tendon to diaphragm → C3, C4, C5