[Acute abdomen from the internal medicine point of view]

Abstract

The interdisciplinary management of acute abdominal pain involves experienced specialists in both internal medicine and visceral surgery. The essential approach is to shorten the time between begin of symptoms, contact with a medical practitioner, diagnosis and therapy through identification of patients at risk, eg. of mesenteric ischemia. The characteristics of abdominal pain may help to identify the underlying disease. However, in children, in the elderly or in immune-compromised patients the symptoms may be nonspecific. Effective management of acute abdominal pain involves a careful history taking, ultrasound, electrocardiography and blood tests. Computed tomography of abdominal organs and visceral vessels is probably important already at the beginning of the diagnostic work up. Time consuming diagnostic steps should not be undertaken.