[Acute abdomen - a  practical approach].

[Acute abdomen - a practical approach]. Radiologe. 2019 Jan 16;: Authors: Kulinna-Cosentini C, Röhrich S, Arnoldner MA Abstract CLINICAL PROBLEM: Acute abdomen describes a critical clinical condition which includes a heterogeneous group of clinical presentations. Several diseases require immediate surgical treatment. Therefore, fast radiological assessment is demanded. STANDARD RADIOLOGICAL METHODS: Stable patients presenting at the emergency department with acute abdominal pain require an abdominal x‑ray, an ultrasound examination and/or a computed tomography (CT) scan, depending on the location and character of their pain. These standard radiological methods provide a quick differentiation between simple and complicated pathologies. Unstable patients should undergo immediate CT and, if positive, be sent directly to surgery. METHODICAL INNOVATIONS AND ASSESSMENT: The ongoing technical developments in the field of computed tomography allow a quick and detailed characterization of pathologic conditions of the abdominal organs. A structured approach, based on the analysis of typical radiological signs and patterns, combined with the evaluation of extra-abdominal findings helps to assign the observed imaging findings to specific diseases. RECOMMENDATION: A systematic 4‑point approach for structured analysis of specific and nonspecific imaging features and common pitfalls aids to choose the correct ra...
Source: Der Radiologe - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Radiologe Source Type: research