Abdominal Exam Flashcards
What should you look for in general inspection?
State - stable, pain/discomfort
Skin - jaundice, bronze pigmentation (haemochromatosis), pallor
Size - cachexia, gynaecomastia
Surroundings - vomit bowls etc.
What should you look for in the nails?
- Clubbing
- Leukonychia
- Koilonychia
What are some GI causes of clubbing?
- Liver cirrhosis
- IBD
- Coeliac
What causes leukonychia?
Hypoalbuminaemia (liver cirrhosis)
What kind of tremor might be seen in patients with GI pathology?
Flapping tremor - hepatic encephalopathy
What should you look for on the palms?
- Palmar erythema
- Dupuytren’s contracture
- Fingertip capillary glucose monitoring marks
What causes palmar erythema?
- Liver disease, pregnancy (inc. circulating oestrogen)
- Thryotoxicosis
- Polycythaemia
What should you look for in the arms, neck and axillae?
- Bruising
- Excoriations (scratch marks)
- Spider naevi
- Acanthosis nigricans
- Lymphadenopathy
What are spider naevi associated with?
> 2-3 associated with liver cirrhosis
What should you look for in the eyes?
- Sclera (jaundice)
- Conjunctival pallor
- Periorbital xanthelasma
- Kayser-Fleischer rings (Wilson’s disease)
What should you look for in the mouth?
- Glossitis
- Macroglossia
- Apthous ulcers
- Gum hypertrophy
- Breath odor
What should you look for on the abdomen?
- Distension (fluid, flatus, fat, foetus, faeces)
- Incusional hernias
- Scars
- Striae
- Spider naevi
- Movement with respiration
- Obvious pulsations
- Distended anastomoses
How do you examine for an abdominal aorta aneurysm?
- Align hands parallel to the aorta
- Start laterally and move medially
In what order do you do palpitations?
- Superficial
- Deep
- Liver
- Spleen
- Kidneys
Where do you auscultate for renal bruits?
Either side above the umbilicus
