Abdominal pain Flashcards
An international study involving referral to 26
surgical departments in 17 countries revealed nonspecific
1
2
3
the most common conditions.
abdominal pain (34%), acute appendicitis (28%) and cholecystitis (10%)
T or F
As a general rule, upper abdominal pain is caused
by lesions of the upper GIT and lower abdominal
pain by lesions of the lower GIT
T
Colicky midline umbilical abdominal pain
(severe) → vomiting → distension = ______
small bowel
obstruction (SBO).
Midline lower abdominal pain → distension →
vomiting = _______
large bowel obstruction (LBO).
If cases of acute abdomen have a surgical cause,
the pain nearly always precedes the _____
vomiting
________ must be considered in
an elderly person with arteriosclerotic disease or
in patients with atrial fibrillation presenting with
severe abdominal pain or following myocardial
infarction
Mesenteric artery occlusion
Up to ________of presentations of abdominal pain
are considered to be non-specific, whereby no
specific cause is found
one-third
A study on chronic abdominal pain 4 showed that the commonest reasons (approximate percentages) were
no discoverable causes (50%), minor causes including muscle strains (16%), irritable bowel syndrome (12%), gynaecological causes (8%), peptic ulcers and hiatus hernia (8%).
Red flag pointers for acute abdominal pain
History 1 2 3 4 5 6
- Collapse at toilet
- Lightheadedness
- Ischaemic heart disease
- Progressive-vomiting pain, distension
- Menstrual abnormalities
- Malignancy
Red flag pointers for acute abdominal pain
Signs 1 2 3 4 5 6
- Hypotension
- Atrial fibrillation or tachycardia
- Fever
- Prostration
- Rebound tenderness and guarding
- Decreased urine output
Dangers of misdiagnosis • \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ → rapid hypovolaemic shock • \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ → rapid hypovolaemic shock • \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ → peritonitis/pelvic abscess • \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ → peritonitis • \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ → gangrene
Ectopic pregnancy Ruptured AAA Gangrenous appendix Perforated ulcer Obstructed bowel
Early appendicitis
presents typically with ___________some 4 to 6
hours later.
central abdominal pain
that shifts to the right iliac fossa (RIF)
Disaccharidase deficiencies, such as _______ are associated with cramping abdominal pain,
which may be severe
lactase
deficiency,
Specific pitfalls in the dx
Failing to examine _______ in a patient
with intestinal obstruction
hernial orifices
Misleading temporary improvement (easing of
pain) in _____ or ______
perforation of gangrenous appendix or
perforated peptic ulcer
Spinal dysfunction of the _____ or _______ can cause referred pain
to the abdomen
lower thoracic spine
and thoracolumbar junction
________ can be most relevant, especially
in recurrent or chronic abdominal pain where no
specific cause can be identified in most cases.
Psychogenic factors
_______ is hospital admission by
deception, often with severe abdominal pain without
convincing clinical signs or abnormal investigation
Munchausen syndrome
special clinical tests for abdominal pain:
_______ (a sign of peritoneal tenderness with acute cholecystitis); iliopsoas and obturator signs
Murphy sign
_______ occur through
defects in transversus abdominal muscle lateral
to the rectus sheath—usually below the level of
the umbilicus
Spigelian hernias
PE:
Palpation: palpate with gentleness—note any
guarding or rebound tenderness: guarding
indicates _______
rebound tenderness indicates _____ (bacterial peritonitis, blood)
peritonitis;
peritoneal irritation
Patient pain indicator:
the ______indicates focal peritoneal irritation;
the_______indicates visceral pain
finger pointing sign
spread palm sign
Atrial fibrillation: consider ____
mesenteric artery
obstruction
- ______ sepsis and volume depletion
- _______: sepsis, pneumonia, acidosis
- Pallor and ‘shock’: _______
Tachycardia:
Tachypnoea
acute blood loss
Auscultation: note bowel activity or a_______ (best before palpation and percussion)
succussion
splash
Causes of a ‘silent abdomen’:
1
2
3
diffuse sepsis, ileus, mechanical obstruction (advanced
Hypertympany indicates _____
mechanical obstruction
_______if
raised to greater than three times normal upper
level acute pancreatitis is most likely
serum amylase and/or lipase (preferable
What can you see in a plain abdominal xray
— \_\_\_\_\_\_\_—70% opaque — \_\_\_\_\_\_\_—only 10–30% opaque — air in biliary tree — calcified aortic aneurysm — marked distension sigmoid →\_\_\_\_\_ — distended bowel with fluid level → \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ — enlarged caecum with large bowel obstruction — blurred right psoas shadow →\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
kidney/ureteric stones
biliary stones
sigmoid volvulus
bowel obstruction
appendicitis
What can you see in a plain abdominal xray
sentinel loop of gas in left upper quadrant
(LUQ) → _________
acute pancreatitis
chest X-ray: air under diaphragm → _______
perforated ulcer
Dxtics
________ good for hepatobiliary system,
kidneys and female pelvis
ultrasound:
T or F
UTZ can be affected by shadows
T
_________—diagnosis of acute
cholecystitis
HIDA or DIDA nuclear scan
__________: gives excellent survey of abdominal
organs including masses and fluid collection
CT scan
________: shows bile duct obstruction and pancreatic
disease
ERCP
______ is a rhythmic pain with regular spasms
of recurring pain building to a climax and fading. It
is virtually pathognomonic of_____
Colicky pain
intestinal obstruction
______ is a true colicky abdominal pain, but
so-called biliary colic and kidney colic are not true
colics at all
Ureteric colic
________ usually arises from disorders of the
embryologic foregut, such as the oesophagus, stomach
and duodenum, hepatobiliary structures, pancreas
and spleen
Epigastric pain
_______ usually arises from disorders of structures of
the embryologic midgut
Periumbilical
pain
structures from the
_______ tend to refer pain to the lower abdomen or
suprapubic region
hindgut
The intra-abdominal sensory receptors can
be considered as innervating______ or ________
peritoneum.
visceral or parietal
Visceral _________ are triggered
by intestinal distension or tension on mesentery
or blood vessels while _______ are triggered by
mechanical, thermal and chemical stimuli
mechanoreceptors
nociceptors
The pain
from viscera is felt as __________localised while
stimulation of parietal peritoneal nociceptors gives a
pain that is experienced directly at the site of insult.
diffuse and poorly
Acute abdominal pain in children
Common causes/probability diagnosis:
1
2
3
- infant colic
- gastroenteritis (all ages)
- mesenteric adenitis
Acute abdominal pain in children
Serious causes, not to be missed:
- ________ (peaks at 6–9 months)
- ________ (mainly 5–15 years)
- bowel obstruction
intussusception
acute appendicitis
Acute abdominal pain in children:
Rarities: 1 2 3 4
- Meckel diverticulitis
- Henoch–Schönlein purpura
- sickle crisis
- lead poisoning
This is the occurrence in a well baby of regular,
unexplained periods of inconsolable crying and
fretfulness, usually in the late afternoon and evening,
especially between 2 weeks and 16 weeks of a
Infant ‘colic’ (period of infant distress)
Infant ‘colic’ (period of infant distress)
Crying worst at around ______ weeks of age
10
Infant ‘colic’ (period of infant distress)
Drugs are not generally recommended, but for very
severe problems some preparations can be very
helpful (e.g. _________
simethicone
__________is the diagnosis that should be
foremost in one’s mind with a child aged between
3 months and 2 years presenting with sudden onset
of severe colicky abdominal pain, coming at intervals
of about 15 minutes and lasting for 2–3 minutes
Intussusception
What is the pathophysiology of Intussusception?
It is due to the telescoping of a segment of bowel into the adjoining distal segment (e.g. ileocaecal segment), resulting in intestinal obstruction.
What is the cause of Intussusception?
It is usually idiopathic but
can have a pathological lead point (4–12 years) (e.g.
polyp, Meckel diverticulum)
Sign of Intussusception?
Sausage-shaped mass in right upper quadrant
(RUQ) anywhere between the line of colon and
umbilicus, especially during attacks (difficult to
feel)
Signs of Intussusception
• _________ (i.e. emptiness in RIF to palpation)
• Alternating high-pitched active bowel sounds
with absent sounds
• Rectal examination: _______
Signe de dance
± blood
Diagnosis of Intussusception
• Ultrasound
•___________ (with caution) also
used for diagnosis and treatment
Oxygen or barium enema
Treatment of Intussusception
• _______ by air or oxygen from the
‘wall’ supply (preferred) or barium enema
• Surgical intervention may be necessary
Hydrostatic reduction
In any child complaining of acute abdominal pain,
enquiry should be made into ______
drug ingestion