Abdominal Exam Flashcards
What are the 9 regions of the abdomen?
Inspection of eyes: (3)
- Jaundice
- Anaemia
- Xanthelasmata
Cause of:
Angular stomatitis
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Cause of:
Halitosis
Excessive gut hygiene or poor dental hygiene
Cause of:
Fetor hepaticus
Fetor hepaticus means “fetid liver” or “liver stench”. It’s a type of chronic bad breath that’s actually a symptom of liver disease
Cause of:
gynaecomastia
Liver issues in males (eg. liver cirrhosis)
Cause of:
spider naevi
Spider nevi, especially if there is more than one, is a common sign of liver disease.
Why do we look for scratch marks?
Pruritus
Cause of:
Palmar erythema
Liver cirrhosis
What is dupuytren’s contracture?
Dupuytren contracture is an abnormal thickening of the skin in the palm of the hand. Liver disease, mostly alcoholism
What is hepatic flap?
Asterixis, also called flapping tremor, is a clinical sign indicating the inability to maintain a sustained posture of muscle contraction. Liver or kidney disease
Distended veins
How to determine IVC or Portal Hypertension issue?
What are the 6 F’s?
How do you position the patient upon palpation?
What’s the FIRST thing to do before palpation?
ASK if they are experiencing pain and palpate AWAY from the area of pain
What are the descriptive features of intra-abdominal masses?
Hyper-resonance:
Distended bowel
Resonance:
Normal bowel
Dullness:
Solid organ/mass
Stoney dulness:
Fluid (ascites)
How long do we auscultate for bowel sounds?
FULL MINUTE
How do we palpate for liver edge? (4)
