In this post I’m reviewing the Abdominal Pain Diagnostic Schemas from The Clinical Problem Solvers as well as including a link to the American College of Radiology imaging recommendations for the imaging of gastrointestinal problems.
The Life Threatening Causes of Abdominal Pain from CPS:
- Obstruction
- Perforation
- Vascular Catastrophe
- e.g. acute mesenteric ischemia
- rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm
- aortic dissection
- or an inferior MI manifesting as abdominal pain
- Ectopic Pregnancy
The Two Diagnostic Schema of Abdominal Pain [Link is to the video reviews of the two schema – Be sure and watch both videos – great reviews] from CPS
- Abdominal Pain
- “One third of the patients who present with abdominal pain in the inpatient or outpatient setting never receive a diagnosis. They are labeled as undifferentiated abdominal pain; and these patients typically do fine.
- “In diabetics, the immunocompromised, and the elderly the mortality rate associated with abdominal pain is increased
- Imaging Negative Abdominal Pain
- “What I mean by that is that you obtain a CT scan and the following list of diagnoses may not show any abnormalities on the CT scan
- Metabolic
- Meds/Toxins
- Functional
- Other
- “What I mean by that is that you obtain a CT scan and the following list of diagnoses may not show any abnormalities on the CT scan
The American College Of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria [This foregoing link is for the entire list of covered diagnoses] for Gastrointestinal Disease:
Here is the Abdominal Pain diagnostic schema [Link is to the PDF]:
Here is the diagnostic schema for Imaging Negative Abdominal Pain [Link is to the PDF]