The acute abdomen: Ultrasonography

Ultrasonography of the acute abdomen.

For many years, ultrasonography has been considered to be one of the most valuable imaging techniques for evaluation of the abdominal cavity and its organs. In most cases, abdominal ultrasonography helps obtain information that leads to a definitive diagnosis. Ultrasonography is also valuable to narrow the list of differential diagnoses obtained with other diagnostic techniques. This article di...

Ultrasonography of the acute abdomen: gastrointestinal conditions.

Although multislice, helical CT is increasingly replacing ultrasonography for the evaluation of patients with acute abdominal pain, ultrasound does have certain specific advantages over CT. This article discusses the advantages of ultrasound in imaging of the acute abdomen, exploring such areas as appendicitis, ileocecal Crohn's disease, infectious ileocolitis and infectious ileocecitis, mesent...

Focus on abnormal air: diagnostic ultrasonography for the acute abdomen.

Emergency ultrasonography is a frequently used imaging tool in the bedside diagnosis of the acute abdomen. Classic indications include imaging for acute abdominal aneurysm, acute cholecystitis, hydronephrosis, and free intra-abdominal fluid in patients with trauma or suspected vascular or ectopic pregnancy rupture. Point-of-care sonographic imaging often emphasizes the diagnostic utility of flu...

The Acute Abdomen

[Acute abdomen].