Errors in the Interpretation of the Non-traumatic Acute Abdomen

Abstract

The term “acute abdomen” defines a clinical syndrome characterized by the sudden onset of severe abdominal pain requiring emergency medical or surgical treatment [1]. In a review of approximately 30,000 patients with acute abdomen, de Bombal [2] observed that the most common causes of acute abdominal pain were represented by appendicitis, acute cholecystitis, and small-bowel obstruction whereas in one third of patients no cause could be determined. Since many of these conditions may have similar early clinical presentations, diagnostic imaging tools including abdominal plain film (APF), ultrasound (US), and multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) play a pivotal role in the management of patients presenting to the emergency department with acute non-traumatic abdominal pain.