Abdominal examination Flashcards
Steps in abdo exam in general
- Face - ?Moon face/ Cooley’s / Cafe au lait/ pallor/ ? Jaundice/ KF rings/ Cataract
- Comment on growth status
- Hand - Liver palm, clubbing, rickets change (wrist swelling)
- Ankle - oedema
5. Thorough abdominal examination: • Inspection • Palpation • Percussion • Auscultation • PR and Genitalia
Causes of abdominal distension
- Gaseous distension - malabsorption
- Organomegaly - Liver, spleen, kidneys, bladder
- Ascites
- Tumour - Wilm’s; Neuroblastoma
Ascitic fluid
Exudate: > 40g /L protein
Transudate:
Causes of ascites
- Local disease
• Peritoitis
• Malignancy
2. Others • Decrease osmotic pressure • Nephrotic Syndrome • Protein losing enteropathy • Chronic liver disease • Increase hydrostatic pressure • Portal hypertension
- Bile
- Chylous
- Uropathic
- Blood
Steps in examination
- General:
• Growth - Height, ?Obese, wasting in malnutrition
• Face - moon face in Cushing syndrome (Steroid)
• Pallor, Jaundice and oedema
2. Abdomen: • Distention - everted umbilicus • Evidence of portal hypertension • Inguinal hernia • Demonstrate shifting dullness
- Chest: Pleural Effusion
- CVS: Constrictive Pericarditis or congestive heart failures
- BP measurement
- Urinanlysis
Causes of gaseous distension
- Aerophagia
- GE
- GI Obstruction- acute or chronic eg. Hirschsprung’s disease
- Malabsorption - esp coeliac disease
Steps in examination
- Signs of malnutrition- wasting, loss of subcutaneous fat at buttock, face
- Abdomen - masses, bowel sounds, hernial sites, tympanic abdomen on percussion, perineal rash - due to acidic stool
Causes of splenomegaly
• MODERATE Size
- Portal hypertension
- Blood diseases - Spherocytosis
- Infection - Viral, Subacute bacterial endocarditis, Toxoplasmosis, Malaria, Typhoid
- Juvenile RA
- Malignancy
• MASSIVE Size
- Chronic myeloid leukaemia
- Myelofibrosis
- Malaria
- Gaucher disease
- Thal Major
Hepatomegaly
Size in newborn - 3 cm below Rt costal margin
1 year old - 2cm below Rt costal margin
5 year old - 1 cm below
Causes of Hepatomegaly
• New born:
- Neonatal hepatitis
- Biliary Atresia
- Congestive HF
- Infection
- Haematological disease eg. Haemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN), Haemoglobinopathy, chronic haemolysis
• Age 1 to 3 (Toddler)
- Congestive HF
- Infection
- Haematological disease eg. Haemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN), Haemoglobinopathy, chronic haemolysis
- Metabolic disease (Galactosaemia, Storage disease, Reye’s syndrome, Wilson’s disease, Alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency)
5. Tumour A. MALIGNANT • Primary - Hepatoblastoma • Secondary - Lymphoma, Leukaemia B. BENIGN • Heamangioma, Cyst / Abcess
• Older children:
- Infection
- Haematological disease eg. Haemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN), Haemoglobinopathy (Thal), chronic haemolysis
- Metabolic disease (Galactosaemia, Storage disease, Reye’s syndrome, Wilson’s disease, Alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency)
4. Tumour A. MALIGNANT • Primary - Hepatoblastoma • Secondary - Lymphoma, Leukaemia B. BENIGN • Heamangioma, Cyst / Abcess
- Chronic Inflammatory disease - Still’s, Crohn’s, UC
- Polycystic liver
- Congenital fibrosis
- Amyloidosis
Steps in examination in Hepatomegaly
- General: growth, ?wasting
- Assess mentality
- Face: Pallor, Jaundice, increase pigmentation, Cooley’s face, dysmorphic face
- Eye - Cataract, KF rings, Puffy eyelid
- Hand: Clubbing, Liver palm
- Limbs: Oedema; Bleeding tendency - Bruise and petechiae
- Abdomen
• Sign of portal hypertension
• Organomegaly
• Isolated liver enlargement (Galactosaemia, Glycogen Storage disease, Alpha 1 anti-trypsin deficency - CVS for evidence of HF
Causes of Hepatosplenomegaly
- Infection- Typhoid, TB, Infectious Mononucleosis, CMV, Malaria
- Extramedullary erythropoiesis - Thal, Haemoglobinopathy
- Malignancy - Neuroblastoma and Hiistiocytosis
- Portal Hypertension
- Storage disease - Gaucher’s disease
- Polycystic liver disease
NB. Look for pallor, LNs and signs of liver disease
If Hepatosplenomegaly + LNs, consider:
- CLL
- Lymphoma
- IM
- Infective Hepatitis
Causes of Portal Hypertension
- Prehepatic
• Portal vein thrombosis
• Sepsis, Polycythaemia, Catheterization
• Portal Lymphadenopathy
2. Hepatic • Cirrhosis • Veno- occlusive diseases • Infiltrative disease, eg Malignancy • Schistosomiasis • Congenital fibrosis (AR)
- Posthepatic
• Budd Chiari Syndrome
• Congestive HF
• Constrictive pericarditis
Causes of kidney enlargement
1. Unilateral • Renal cyst • Hydronephrosis • Pyelonephritis • Tumor - Wilms tumor; Neuroblastoma
2. Bilateral • Cystic kidney • Polycystic kidney disease • Megacystis megaureter syndrome • Lowe's syndrome • TS • Hydronephrosis due to bilateral reflux, neurogenic bladder, posterior urethral valve • Bilateral Wilm's tumor • Renal vein thrombosis (in neonate)
Steps in physical examination in kidney enlargement
- Note pallor, uraemic look or polycythaemia, short statue, wasting, oedema, bone deformity and ricketic change, Aniridia
- Abdo exam - test the anal reflex if bladder is palpable
- Examination of spine and LL neurologically if indicated
- Measure BP and look at fundi for uraemic change and ask for urine analysis