Acute abdomen - still a mystifying condition?

JOHN GRIFSON   (2007-12-19 17:17)  JIPMER,Pondicherry,India.

Acute abdomen is known for its complex perplexing presentations.Prompt diagnosis and timely decision for surgical or conservative therapeutic measures is essential to reduce morbidity and mortality.Furthermore we should bear in mind that common surgical emergencies are known for their dubious presentations.A old man with sudden onset pain abdomen may lack signs of peritonism but still may have pneumoperitoneum in abdominal x-ray.The classical signs of appendicitis may be lacking in a patient with inflamed retrocecal appendix but still may warrant surgery.A recent work done by Covarelli et al insist the good old fact that supplementation of blood and imaging studies can help to avoid useless surgical procedure or potentially

dangerous delay in administering treatment(1).Therefore I would like to emphasise that precise history and complete physical examination supplemented by blood investigations and imaging studies form a vital triad in the effective management of acute abdomen.

REFERENCE

1)Covarelli P, Cristofani R, Bussotti C, Scalercio V, Boselli C, Petrina A, Noya G.

Acute abdomen: experience with 196 consecutive cases

Chir Ital. 2007 May-Jun;59(3):291-7. Italian.

Competing interests

None declared

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