Acute abdominal pain

Abstract

The assessment and diagnosis of acute abdominal pain in Emergency Care Units is a challenge in many times. There are several causes that can make difficult to perform clinical history, delay proper diagnosis or make difficult to set up an appropriate treatment; in consequence, adverse events, in patients and health system, might occur. Multiple diagnoses have been taken in to account by physicians, mainly in life-threatening situations requiring timely intervention measures. Current paper reviews available and updated literature about acute abdominal pain, focusing on the review of clinical history and physical examination, complementary diagnostic tests, clinical assessment and therapeutic management.