A
4
abdomen
The region of the body be-tween the chest and the pelvis. Theabdominal cavity is bounded by the ribsand diaphragm above, and by the pelvisbelow, with the spine and abdominalmuscles forming the back, side, andfront walls. It contains the liver, stom-ach, intestines, spleen, pancreas, andkidneys. In the lower abdomen, enclosedby the pelvis, are the bladder, rectum,and, in women, the uterus and ovaries.
abdomen, acute
Persistent, severe ab-dominal pain of sudden onset, usuallyassociated with spasm of the abdomi-nal muscles, vomiting, and fever.The most common cause of an acuteabdomen is
peritonitis
. Other causesinclude
appendicitis
, abdominal injury,perforation of an internal organ due todisorders such as
peptic ulcer
or
diver-ticular disease
. Acute abdominal paincommonly begins as a vague pain in thecentre but then becomes localized. An acute abdomen requires urgentmedical investigation that may involvea
laparoscopy
or a
laparotomy
. Treat-ment depends on the underlying cause.
abdominal pain
Discomfort in the ab-domen. Mild abdominal pain is commonand is often due to excessive alcoholintake, eating unwisely, or an attack of
diarrhoea
. Pain in the lower abdomenis common during menstruation but isoccasionally due to a gynaecologicaldisorder such as
endometriosis
.
Cystitis
is a common cause of pain or discom-fort in the abdomen. Bladder distensionas a result of urinary obstruction mayalso cause abdominal pain. Abdominal colic is pain that occursevery few minutes as one of the internalorgans goes into muscular spasm in anattempt to overcome an obstructionsuch as a stone or an area of inflamma-tion. The attacks of colic may becomemore severe and may be associatedwith vomiting (see
abdomen
,
acute
).
Peptic ulcer
often produces recurrentgnawing pain. Other possible causes ofabdominal pain are infection, such as
pyelonephritis
,
and
ischaemia
(lack ofblood supply), as occurs when a
volvu- lus
(twisting of the intestine) obstructsblood vessels. Tumours affecting anabdominal organ can cause pain. Abdo-minal pain can also result from anxiety.For mild pain, a wrapped hot-waterbottle is often effective. Pain due topeptic ulcer can be temporarily relievedby food or by taking
antacid drugs.
Abdominal pain that is not relieved byvomiting, persists for more than 6 hours,or is associated with sweating or faint-ing requires urgent medical attention.Urgent attention is also necessary ifpain is accompanied by persistent vom-iting, vomiting of blood, or passing ofbloodstained or black faeces. Unex-plained weight loss or changes in bowelhabits should always be investigated.Investigation of abdominal pain mayinclude the use of imaging tests such as
ultrasound scanning
, and endoscopicexamination in the form of
gastroscopy
,
colonoscopy
, or
laparoscopy
.
abdominal swelling
Enlargement ofthe abdomen. Abdominal swelling is anatural result of
obesity
and growth ofthe uterus during pregnancy. Wind in thestomach or intestine may cause uncom-fortable, bloating distension of theabdomen.Some women experience ab-dominal distension due to temporarywater retention just before menstrua-tion. Other causes may be more serious.
ABDOMEN ABDOMINAL SWELLING
A
Stomach Area of abdomenLiver Largeintestine
ABDOMEN
SmallintestineRectum
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