Hello and welcome to the Zero to Finals podcast.

My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be talking to you about acute abdomen.

You can find written notes on this topic at zero tofinals.com slash acute abdomen

or in the general surgery section of the zero to finals surgery book.

So let's get straight into it.

An acute abdomen refers to a recent, rapid onset of urgent abdominal or pelvic pathology,

usually presenting with abdominal pain.

This is a common presentation and has a wide variety of causes.

Let's talk about the differential diagnosis of acute abdominal pain. It may be helpful to think of

the causes as being related to pathology in the organs that are located in the area of the pain. For example,

if the pain is in the right side of the abdomen, think about the organs that are on the right

side of the abdomen. Bear in mind that the pain may not always be localized in the typical area,

so keep your mind open to other possible differentials.

Also, this list is not exhaustive, and there will always be more differentials to consider.

So firstly, generalized abdominal pain could be caused by peritonitis, which is inflammation of

the peritoneal lining,

ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms, intestinal obstruction, or ischemic colitis,

right upper quadrant pain may be caused by billory colic, acute colostitis or acute colangitis.

Epigastric pain may be caused by acute gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, pancreatitis,

or ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Central abdominal pain may be caused by a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm,

intestinal obstruction, ischemic colitis, or the early stages of appendicitis.

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