Abdominal Exam Flashcards
identify where the pain comes from


location esophageal pain
usu retrosternal, xiphisternal, epigastric
gastric pain location
typically epigastric
or in LUQ
location gallbladder pain
classically in RUQ
(15% time in epigastric or LUQ)
location small bowel pain
often referred to periumblical area
location ileal pain
often in RLQ
colonic pain
usu referred to LLQ and RLQ
pancreatic pain
usu epigastric or periumblical in location or in LUQ
often radiating to the back
location renal colic pain
often felt in back and loin and radiates to groin
splenic pain location
LUQ
hepatic pain location
RUQ
dysphagia
difficulty swallowing
odynophagia
difficulty swallowing that is painful
hematemesis
blood in vomit
hematochezia
passage of bright red blood in the stool
melena
passage of very dark stool (often tarry), reflects conversion of Hgb to various breakdown products
major causes of hematochezia
- hemorrhoids
- colorectal carcinoma
- colonic polyps
chronic diverticular disease
- inflammatory bowel disease
- angiodysplasia of the colon
acute infectious enteritis
infectious proctitis
- ischemic colitis
RUQ contains
liver, gall bladder, (stomach?, pancreas?), kidney, hepatic flexure of the colon
LUQ contains
pancreas, spleen, splenic flexure of colon
RLQ contains
appendix, ileum, cecuum and right colon, ovary
LLQ contains
sigmoid and left colon, ovary
areas of abdomen
- epigastrium
- peri-umbilical
- suprapubic
- flanks
epigastrium
stomach, gall bladder, pancreas
peri-umbilical
small intestines, abdominal wall hernia