Anterior Abdominal Wall

Question 0

What is the difference between somatic referred pain & visceral referred pain?

Answer 0

SOMATIC REFERRED PAIN = pain caused by a noxious stimulant to a proximal part of a somatic nerve that is perceived in the distal dermatome
e.g. shingles

VISCERAL REFERRED PAIN = (thorax & abdomen) visceral afferent pain fibres follow sympathetic fibres back to the same spinal cord segments that give rise to the preganglionic sympathetic fibres
-> CNS perceives pain as coming from the somatic portion of the preganglionic sympathetic fibres

note: visceral pain can only sense ischaemia, abnormally strong muscle contractions, inflammation, and stretch (does not sense touch, burn, etc.)

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Question 1

What are the boundaries of the anterolateral abdominal wall?

Answer 1

Superior: cartilages of the 7th-10th ribs & the xiphoid process

Inferior: inguinal ligament & superior margins of the pelvic girdle (iliac crests, pubic crests, pubic symphysis)