Keywords:
Emergency, Abdomen, Gastrointestinal tract, Ultrasound, CT, Diagnostic procedure
Authors:
A. Vizzuso, D. Ribuffo, F. Pellegrino, Z. Ferrante, S. Tartari, M. Giganti, G. Benea; Ferrara/IT
DOI:
10.1594/ecr2018/C-2373
Aims and objectives
Acute abdominal pain of non-traumatic origin is one of the most common causes of Emergency Department (ED) admission [1].
Acute appendicitis,
diverticulitis,
cholecystitis and bowel obstruction are common causes of acute abdominal pain.
Other important but less frequent causes of abdominal pain include perforated viscera and bowel ischemia [2]. In the ED is important rapidly identify whether the underlying cause requires an urgent or even immediate surgical intervention; indeed,
acute abdominal pain can be either surgical or medical,
in origin,
so effective treatment is dependent upon correct diagnosis.
History,
physical examination and laboratory results can generally differentiate between an acutely serious and a less serious abdominal problem.
If laboratory values are increased and if serious pathology remains a clinical concern,
diagnostic imaging is necessary [3].Computed tomography (CT) is extremely helpful because it facilitates an accurate and reproducible diagnosis in urgent conditions.
CT can be considered the primary technique for the diagnosis of acute abdominal pain,
except in patients with right upper quadrant pain.
In these patients,
ultrasonography (US) is the primary imaging technique of choice.
When costs and ionizing radiation exposure are primary concerns,
a possible strategy is to perform US as the initial technique in all patients with acute abdominal pain [3-8].
Our aim was to evaluate role of US and assess the concordance with CT in the diagnosis and management of patients with aspecific abdominal pain.