Abstract
Introduction
The term 'Acute abdomen' refers to signs and symptoms of abdominal pain and tenderness, a clinical presentation that may require emergency surgical therapy. This challenging scenario requires a thorough and expeditious workup to determine the need for operative: intervention and to initiate appropriate therapy. Many diseases, some of which are not surgical or intra-abdominal, can produce acute abdominal pain and tenderness. Therefore, every attempt is made to make a correct diagnosis so that the chosen therapy, often a laparoscopy or laparotomy, is appropriate. 1
Acute abdomen is a broad term which includes many conditions, some requiring surgical management and others a conservative approach, e.g. conditions like perforated peptic ulcer, internal strangulation, perforation of hollow viscera, acute appendicitis etc need immediate surgical intervention, whereas in conditions like acute pancreatitis treatment is essentially conservative. Clinically it may be difficult to differentiate between these conditions as well as many other abdominal crisis. Hence the need for investigations may be biochemical, radiological or others.2
Need of the Study
Acute abdomen embraces a large group of pathological conditions which have very little in common with each other except that most of them present with acute abdominal pain and call for prompt diagnosis and treatment i.e. acute intestinal obstruction, acute appendicitis, perforated peptic ulcer, acute pancreatitis, renal colic, diverticulitis and gastritis.3 The variable presentation and severity of illness make it necessary to arrive at a provisional diagnosis on which a surgeon can act upon. Conditions like internal strangulation and perforation of hollow viscera demand immediate surgical intervention. At the same time there are other cases of acute abdomen of equally serious magnitude like acute pancreatitis, where the treatment is essentially conservative.4
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Corresponding Author
Kapil Sindhu
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Surgery, MMIMSR, Mullana Ambala 133207
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v8i1.121
