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Assessment of Acute Abdominal Symptoms

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Surgery

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Abstract

The diagnostic evaluation of the patient with acute abdominal pain is one of the most interesting and challenging problems in clinical medicine. Changes in technology in the past 25 years (ultrasonography, computed tomographic [CT] scanning, magnetic resonance imaging [MRI], diagnostic peritoneal lavage, and laparoscopy) have improved our ability to “see” into the abdomen. Nevertheless, the abdomen remains very much a “black box” for the clinician on the front line. Surgery is still awaiting the development of an imaging test of sufficient accuracy to revolutionize the evaluation of the acute abdomen much as the head CT scan changed forever the fields of neurology and neurosurgery. A careful history and physical examination by an experienced surgeon, together with judicious use of laboratory and currently available imaging studies, remain the best method of evaluation at present.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department Clinical Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    William P. Schecter MD (Professor)

Authors
  1. William P. Schecter MD
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA, USA

    Jeffrey A. Norton MD, FACS (Robert L. and Mary Ellenburg Professor, Chief) (Robert L. and Mary Ellenburg Professor, Chief)

  2. Divisions of Surgical Oncology and General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA, USA

    Jeffrey A. Norton MD, FACS (Robert L. and Mary Ellenburg Professor, Chief) (Robert L. and Mary Ellenburg Professor, Chief)

  3. Departments of Surgery and Public Health, New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA

    Philip S. Barie MD, MBA, FCCM, FACS (Professor, Chief) (Professor, Chief)

  4. Division of Critical Care and Trauma, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA

    Philip S. Barie MD, MBA, FCCM, FACS (Professor, Chief) (Professor, Chief)

  5. Departments of Surgery and Immunology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

    R. Randal Bollinger MD, PhD, FACS (Professor) (Professor)

  6. Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Alfred E. Chang MD, FACS (Chief, Hugh Cabot Professor of Surgery) (Chief, Hugh Cabot Professor of Surgery)

  7. Department of Surgery, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

    Stephen F. Lowry MD, MBA, FACS (Professor and Chairman) (Professor and Chairman)

  8. Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

    Stephen F. Lowry MD, MBA, FACS (Professor and Chairman) (Professor and Chairman)

  9. Department of Surgery, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Sean J. Mulvihill MD, FACS (Professor and Chair, Senior Director of Clinical Affairs) (Professor and Chair, Senior Director of Clinical Affairs)

  10. Huntsman Cancer Institute, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Sean J. Mulvihill MD, FACS (Professor and Chair, Senior Director of Clinical Affairs) (Professor and Chair, Senior Director of Clinical Affairs)

  11. Departments of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Surgery, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA

    Harvey I. Pass MD, FACS (Professor) (Professor)

  12. Radiology, and Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Robert W. Thompson MD, FACS (Professor of Surgery (Section of Vascular Surgery), Vice-Chairman for Research) (Professor of Surgery (Section of Vascular Surgery), Vice-Chairman for Research)

  13. Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Robert W. Thompson MD, FACS (Professor of Surgery (Section of Vascular Surgery), Vice-Chairman for Research) (Professor of Surgery (Section of Vascular Surgery), Vice-Chairman for Research)

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Schecter, W.P. (2008). Assessment of Acute Abdominal Symptoms. In: Norton, J.A., et al. Surgery. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-68113-9_42

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-68113-9_42

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-30800-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-68113-9

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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