Lower Abdo Pain Flashcards
How can you subdivide causes of colitis?
Infectious - bacterial, viral, amoebic
Vascular - ischaemic - acute and chronic
Autoimmune
Radiation
What type of imaging do you want for investigation of diverticulitis?
Abdo Xray
Abdo CT +C IV
What is the most common location for diverticulitis?
Sigmoid colon
What are some presenting symptoms of diverticulitis?
Lower abdo pain
Rectal bleeding
What do you look for on CT for diverticulitis?
Fat stranding
Perforation
Associated abscess formation
Extraluminal/collection gas
What is Rigler’s sign?
Air causing highlighting of the abdominal wall on abdominal xray
What is the proper name for free gas under the diaphragm?
Pneumoperitonism
What causes guarding?
Irritation of parietal peritonium causing spasm of anterior abdominal wall
What are some signs of generalised peritonism?
Pain everywhere
Pain with coughing, flexing head
What are some causes of large bowel obstruction?
Malignancy
Faecal impaction
Volvulus
Strictures
What are some signs of local peritonism?
Tenderness - particularly percussion and rebound
Guarding - involuntary
Which antibiotics are suitable for diverticulitis?
Tazocin IV
With oral augmentin duofort step down
What are some common causes of lower abdo pain?
Diverticulitis
Appendicitis
IBD (UC/IBD)
Colitis
Large bowel obstruction
PID
Ectopic pregnancy
Endometriosis
Cystitis
What do you look for on US of the appendice?
Wall thickness
Sonographic McBurney’s tenderness
Luminal size
