Acute and Chronic Lower Abdominal Pain of Enterocolic Origin

Abstract

Pain of enterocolic origin is one of the most common complaints the physician encounters in his medical practice. Whereas pain due to a musculoskeletal disorder is usually so well-localized and its qualities so characteristic that an experienced orthopedist often can easily and promptly make the correct diagnosis, this is usually not the case for pain of enterocolic origin. The abdominal viscera of the gut and its appendages are relatively inaccessible to the classic methods of examinations: inspection, palpation, auscultation, and percussion. Thus, the diagnostic skills of a physician examining a patient with abdominal pain of enterocolic origin are often taxed. Fortunately, however, a skillfully taken medical history and meticulous examination of the abdomen will usually result in a diagnosis that needs confirmation in only about 75% of patients. The remaining 25% of patients may require great effort and resourcefulness on the part of the physician before a correct diagnosis can be made.