The Korean Journal of Medicine

The Korean Association of Internal Medicine (대한내과학회)
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Diagnostic Approach to Abdominal Pain

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  • Ryu, Han Seung (Department of Internal Medicine and Digestive Disease Research Institute, Wonkwang University College of Medicine) ;
  • Choi, Suck Chei (Department of Internal Medicine and Digestive Disease Research Institute, Wonkwang University College of Medicine)
  • 류한승 (원광대학교 의과대학 내과학교실, 소화기질환연구소) ;
  • 최석채 (원광대학교 의과대학 내과학교실, 소화기질환연구소)
  • Published : 2012.11.01
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Abstract

Abdominal pain is a common chief complaint that brings patients to emergency departments and outpatient offices. The causes of abdominal pain are numerous, ranging from life-threatening to self-limiting disorders. Diagnostic approaches are often difficult because of the nonspecific and overlapping nature of pain, regardless of the underlying cause. A careful medical history taking is the initial diagnostic step. All patients should undergo systematic examinations, regardless of the differential diagnosis suggested by the history. On the basis of the clinical suspicion and laboratory investigations, the physician will consider imaging examinations to help establish the correct diagnosis. Various endoscopic and imaging modalities have important roles in diagnosing many causes of abdominal pain. Diagnostic approaches rely on the likelihood of disease obtaining from histories of patients, physical examinations, laboratory tests, and imaging studies. Furthermore, the evaluation of abdominal pain must be efficient and lead to an accurate diagnosis early in the presentation. It is also important to consider special populations such as women especially during pregnancy and the elderly, because of presentations may differ and are often complicated by coexistent disease.

Keywords

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