Acute Abdomen (acute + abdomen)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Medical Sciences


Selected Abstracts


Peritoneal mesothelioma presenting as an acute surgical abdomen due to jejunal perforation

JOURNAL OF DIGESTIVE DISEASES, Issue 4 2007
Nikolaos S SALEMIS
BACKGROUND: Peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare disease associated with poor prognosis. Acute abdomen as the first presentation is an extremely rare occurrence. We report an exceptional case of a patient who was found to have a jejunal perforation due to infiltration of peritoneal mesothelioma. METHODS: A 62-year-old man was admitted with clinical signs of peritonitis. Computerized tomographic scans showed a mass distal to the ligament of Treitz, thickening of the mesentery and a small amount of ascites. RESULTS: Emergency laparotomy revealed a perforated tumor 15 cm distal to the ligament of Treitz and diffuse peritoneal disease. Segmental small bowel resection and suboptimal cytoreduction were performed. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry showed infiltration of malignant mesothelioma. During the postoperative period pleural mesothelioma was also diagnosed. Despite adjuvant chemotherapy, the patient died of disseminated progressive disease 7 months after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare malignancy with grim prognosis. Small bowel involvement is a poor prognostic indicator. Our case of a small bowel perforation due to direct infiltration by peritoneal mesothelioma appears to be the first reported in the English literature. [source]


Acute abdomen: always a puzzle (Case Presentation)

ACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 9 2009
G Vaos
No abstract is available for this article. [source]


Acute abdomen: always a puzzle (Discussion and Diagnosis)

ACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 9 2009
G Vaos
No abstract is available for this article. [source]


Bilateral theca lutein cysts: A rare cause of acute abdomen in pregnancy

EMERGENCY MEDICINE AUSTRALASIA, Issue 5-6 2004
Geetika Upadhyaya
Abstract Theca lutein cysts (hyperreactio luteinalis) are benign cysts usually associated with molar pregnancy. We report a case of bilateral theca lutein cysts with normal intrauterine singleton pregnancy presenting as an acute abdomen requiring surgical intervention. Laparotomy revealed bilateral theca lutein cysts one of which was torted, necessitating salpingo-ovariotomy. [source]


Nonagenarian surgical admissions for the acute abdomen: who benefits?

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 11 2010
Z. Toumi
Summary Introduction:, Patients 90 years and older form an increasing proportion of the general population. Outcomes of their acute surgical admissions are not well documented. Methods and materials:, Surgical management of 49 consecutive nonagenarian admissions (median age: 92 years) with an acute abdomen was compared with the management and outcome of 50 younger patients (median age: 53.5) admitted with a suspected acute abdomen over the same period. Results:, Nonagenarian group consisted of mainly women (71% vs. 50%; p = 0.003). The use of laboratory investigations and imaging was similar for the patients aged over 90 and the younger patients, although proportionately fewer nonagenarians were investigated by abdominal CT scan (8% vs. 24%). Of the 49 nonagenarian patients admitted, only 4% (n = 2) were operated on. In contrast, 38% (n = 19) of patients aged 50,59 (p = 0.0001) underwent a surgical intervention. A much greater proportion of nonagenarians died in hospital than patients in the 50,59 comparator group (16% nonagenarians vs. 4% comparator patients; p = 0.04). The very large majority of survivors in both age groups were discharged back to their preadmission domicile [39 (95%) nonagenarians vs. 46 (96%) comparator 50,59 year group]. Conclusions:, In this study, when compared with younger patients, very few nonagenarian patients (2%) with a suspected acute abdomen benefited from surgical admission. Instead, the large majority of nonagenarians either died or were discharged back to their home address without surgery. [source]


Hotel NHS and the acute abdomen , admit first, investigate later

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 12 2009
K. Aryal
Summary Aim:, To determine the financial consequences of a policy of admission first, followed by definitive investigation for patients with an admission diagnosis of suspected acute abdomen. Results:, Over a 1-month period, 122 patients were admitted with a suspected surgical diagnosis of acute abdomen (55 men, 67 women); age range 16,95 years (median: 56.5). Based on surgical operation required (n = 36), death after admission (n = 6, three postoperative deaths) and/or severe surgical illness (n = 17), 56 required surgical inpatient admission, while 66 did not. The patients who did not require admission spent significantly shorter time in hospital than those who required admission (median: 5 days vs. 8.5 days; p = 0.0000). Total hospital hotel and investigation cost (not including ITU or theatre costs) for all 122 patients was £330,468. Overall, £205,468 was consumed by these 56 patients who required admission, while £125,000 was spent on 66 patients whose clinical course did not justify admission; 92% of which was spent on hospital hotel costs and 8% on the cost of imaging and/or endoscopy. Discussion and conclusion:, On a national basis, emergency General Surgery admissions account for 1000 Finished Consultant Episodes per 100,000 population. The findings of this study suggest that this equates to a national NHS spend of £650 million each year, for the hotel costs of patients that could arguably avoid surgical admission altogether. Continuing to admit patients with a suspected acute abdomen first and then requesting definitive investigation makes neither clinical nor economic sense. [source]


Eosinophilic gastroenteritis: presentation of two patients with unusual affect of terminal ileum and caecum with manifestations of acute abdomen and literature review

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 4 2004
A. Charalabopoulos
Summary Eosinophilic gastroenteritis is a rare disease; the long-term personal history with digestive symptoms and the course of the disease with relapses and remissions is the key for the disease to be suspected. Endoscopy, CT scan and sonographic studies may provide important indirect signs of the disease and in combination with histological examination the diagnosis can be achieved. The administration of corticosteroids is an important factor for the treatment or the remission of the disease. In this study two cases with unusual location of the disease, on the terminal ileum and caecum, are presented and a literature review is attempted. The disease process, clinical and laboratory findings as well as the surgical approach used are described. Eosinophilic gastroenteritis is a very rare disease with its surgical complications. The disease is a non-surgical disease, thus presurgical diagnosis is important because the entity discussed can be under control by conservative treatment. A high disease suspicious index must be kept in the physicians' mind. [source]


Color doppler sonography for ventral hernias in patients with acute abdomen: Preliminary findings

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ULTRASOUND, Issue 8 2001
Ren-Jow Liang MD
Abstract Purpose We assessed the usefulness of color Doppler sonography (CDUS) in evaluating the vascular status of ventral hernias and distinguishing incarcerated from nonincarcerated ventral hernias. Methods In this prospective study, 10 patients who presented with acute abdomen and had ventral hernias underwent CDUS from August 1999 to May 2000. Patient age and sex and the clinical severity, mode of therapy, and outcome in these 10 patients were evaluated in relationship to the CDUS findings. Results Five patients had readily visible flow in the bowel within the hernial sac on CDUS. Two of these 5 had spontaneous reduction under conservative treatment, and 3 had asymptomatic ventral hernias with acute abdomen caused by spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. Barely visible flow was visualized in the bowel by CDUS in 4 other patients. Three of these underwent emergency surgery because of peritoneal signs; 2 of them were found to have ischemic changes in the bowel. The fourth patient underwent a successful manual reduction. The remaining patient had absent flow in the bowel on CDUS and underwent emergency surgery, which revealed gangrenous changes in the bowel. Conclusions The intensity of the Doppler signals on CDUS appears to be a promising predictor of bowel viability in cases of ventral hernia. Thus, CDUS should impact the determination of the treatment plan, including whether to provide conservative treatment or surgery. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 29:435,440, 2001. [source]


Enteric duplication cyst of the pancreas presenting as acute abdomen in an adult

JOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY, Issue 11 2006
Giuseppe Pietro Mingolla
[source]


A case of pulmonary type of ovarian small cell carcinoma

JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY RESEARCH (ELECTRONIC), Issue 2 2007
Nao Suzuki
Abstract Small cell carcinoma is a rare form of ovarian cancer with a poor prognosis. It is divided into two types, the hypercalcemic and the pulmonary type, of which the latter is extremely rare. A 49-year-old woman presented with an acute abdomen and was suspected to have torsion of a left ovarian tumor, which was followed up with an emergency operation. Postoperative pathological examination gave a diagnosis of the pulmonary type of ovarian small cell carcinoma. Six courses of paclitaxel and carboplatin therapy were given as adjuvant chemotherapy. The patient has survived for 36 months without recurrence. Here we present an extremely rare patient with the pulmonary type of ovarian small cell carcinoma. [source]


Case of acute ileus caused by a spirurina larva

PATHOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, Issue 9 2004
Toshihiko Miyake
A growing body of clinical cases suggests that a kind of nematode larva, type X larva of the suborder Spirurina that inhabits firefly squids (Watasenia scintillans, or ,Hotaru-ika' in Japanese), can cause acute ileus in humans. However, the larva itself has rarely been found in the wall of the obstructed intestine. We describe here a case of acute ileus, in which a type X spirurina larva was found histologically. A 60-year-old Japanese man suffered from acute abdomen, and an emergency laparotomy revealed a marked stenosis of the ileum. Histological study of the surgically resected ileum showed severe eosinophilic enteritis and a nematode larva. The morphological features of this larva were identical to those of the type X spirurina larva. Interestingly, the larva that was found existed within a small blood vessel, suggesting that the larva migrans of type X spirurina can take place via vasculature. The patient in the present case did not recall ingesting raw squids prior to the onset of his disease. Hence, this indicates that even if the ingestion of raw firefly squids is uncertain, spirurina infection should be included in the differential diagnosis of acute ileus or eosinophilic enteritis. [source]


Emergency laparoscopic splenectomy for haemoperitoneum because of ruptured primary splenic pregnancy: a case report and review of literature

ANZ JOURNAL OF SURGERY, Issue 1-2 2010
Federico Biolchini
Abstract Background:, Primary abdominal pregnancies are potentially life-threatening, particularly without an accurate preoperative diagnosis. Case:, A 41-year-old woman presented to the emergency room with 2 days-lasting left upper quadrant abdominal pain, irradiated to the left shoulder. An urine ,-human chorionic gonadotropin test was positive. Transvaginal sonography raised a suspicion of ectopic pregnancy. The patient was then submitted to abdominal laparoscopy that revealed no sign of active bleeding or ectopic pregnancy. Because of worsening of abdominal pain and progressive anaemia, the patient underwent abdominal ultrasound and multislice computerized tomography scan (TC) that showed the presence of a mass at the superior splenic pole with haemoperitoneum. The patient was taken to the operating room and submitted to a laparoscopic total splenectomy. The post-operative course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged 8 days after intervention. Conclusion:, Abdominal pregnancy should be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute abdomen in women of reproductive age. Abdominal ultrasound and computerized tomography studies must be performed before operative treatment if an ectopic pregnancy is suspected and no intrauterine gestational sac could be showed on transvaginal sonography. [source]


A qualitative evaluation of the Care of the Critically Ill Surgical Patient course

ANZ JOURNAL OF SURGERY, Issue 10 2009
Mario Giuseppe Zotti
Abstract Background:, The Care of the Critically Ill Surgical Patient (CCrISP) course was adapted by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, being made compulsory for all Basic Surgical Trainees in 2001. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the course objectives were achieved and identify strengths and weaknesses. Methods:, A retrospective cohort study was completed, after CCrISP Committee support of the proposed conduct, by distribution of questionnaires to instructors and trainees who had completed CCrISP in 2006 or earlier. The questionnaires were qualitative and designed to evaluate the success of CCrISP objectives. Results:, Fourteen instructors and 40 Victorian trainees completed the questionnaires. The major weaknesses identified by the instructors were the trainees' management of complications, nutrition, multiple injuries and sedation, procedural skills and mentoring. Trainees identified weaknesses in procedural skills and mentoring. Both groups identified the strongest areas being the emphasis on communication skills, utilization of clinical knowledge and acumen, management of shock and haemorrhage and management of the acute abdomen. The trainees further identified the systematic approach to the critically ill surgical patient as a major strength. Conclusion:, The primary objectives of the CCrISP course have been met. This study has identified teaching of communication skills, shock and haemorrhage and the systematic approach being the strengths of the course, whereas further refining of the mentoring process and reconsidering the importance of procedural skills is needed, both of which are secondary objectives. [source]


Severe acute respiratory syndrome mimicking acute abdomen

ANZ JOURNAL OF SURGERY, Issue 3 2004
Cheung San Tjiu
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a novel epidemic disease. The clinical presentation can sometimes be very non-specific. The present study reports a case of SARS, which presented as acute abdomen, warranting laparotomy. The atypical presentation in the present case reminded us of the importance of strict infection control measures in all surgery-related specialist workplaces. [source]


Laparoscopic management of recurrent rupture of an adnexal mass in the second trimester of pregnancy: A case report

ASIAN JOURNAL OF ENDOSCOPIC SURGERY, Issue 1 2010
S Hayasaka
Abstract We present the case of a patient who developed an acute abdomen after recurrent rupture of an ovarian cyst in the first trimester of pregnancy. After the third rupture and recurrence of the cyst, we performed laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy at 13 weeks of gestation. She went on to deliver a healthy neonate via elective cesarean section at 38 weeks of gestation. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a recurrent rupturing ovarian cyst during pregnancy. Our patient's case suggests that idiopathic recurrent rupture of an ovarian cyst can occur during early pregnancy. Careful follow-up and timely surgical intervention for recurrent rupture of an ovarian cyst are needed in order to reduce the risk of pregnancy loss. [source]


Magnetic resonance imaging and the acute abdomen (Br J Surg 2008; 95: 1193,1194)

BRITISH JOURNAL OF SURGERY (NOW INCLUDES EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SURGERY), Issue 1 2009
R. J. Alexander
No abstract is available for this article. [source]


Author's reply: Magnetic resonance imaging and the acute abdomen (Br J Surg 2008; 95: 1193,1194)

BRITISH JOURNAL OF SURGERY (NOW INCLUDES EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SURGERY), Issue 1 2009
J. Stoker
No abstract is available for this article. [source]


Magnetic resonance imaging and the acute abdomen

BRITISH JOURNAL OF SURGERY (NOW INCLUDES EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SURGERY), Issue 10 2008
J. Stoker
Work in progress [source]