Goals

• Trainee will demonstrate competence in the initial evaluation and basic management of patients with abdominal pain

Objectives

Trainee will be able to:

• List and describe classic features of common life- and organ-threatening diagnoses:

  • Aortic aneurysm

  • Appendicitis

  • Biliary tract infections

  • Bowel obstructions

  • Diverticulitis

  • Ectopic pregnancy

  • Mesenteric ischemia

  • Pancreatitis

  • Perforated viscous

  • Testicular/Ovarian torsion

• Name the imaging modalities of choice for each of the above conditions

  • Describe the risks, benefits, and limitations of each imaging modality 

• Name and describe high-risk groups, including how the workup and treatment of these patients differs from that of the general population

General

• Assessing Abdominal Pain (EB Medicine 2019)

• Pediatric Abdominal Pain (EM:RAP 2017)

• Abdominal Pain Mimics (EMDocs 2020)

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Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

• AAA (CDEM 2019)

• AAA (emDocs 2015)

• Ultrasound for AAA

  • US for AAA (EM:RAP 2016)

  • US for AAA (CDEM)​

Appendicitis

• Spotlight: Appendicitis (EM:RAP 2021)

• Appendicitis (CDEM 2019)

• Appendicitis (ACEP Clinical Policy 2010) (pdf)

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Biliary Tract Infections

• Biliary Tract Disease (CDEM 2019)

• Biliary Ultrasound (Core EM 2019)

Bowel Obstructions

• SBO (CDEM 2019)​

• SBO (Core EM 2017)

• SBO Systematic Review (Acad Emerg Med 2013)

Ectopic Pregnancy

• Ectopic Pregnancy (CDEM 2019)

• Ectopic Pregnancy (NEJM 2009)

Mesenteric Ischemia

• Mesenteric Ischemia (EMDocs 2019)

• Mesenteric Ischemia (CDEM 2019)

• Diagnosing Mesenteric Ischemia (EMDocs 2020)

Pancreatitis

• Pancreatitis (EMDocs 2020)

• Pancreatitis (Core EM 2018)

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Perforated Viscous

• Perforated Viscous (EMDocs 2019)

• Perforated Viscus (CDEM 2016)​

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Testicular Torsion

• Testicular Torsion (CDEM 2019)

Ovarian Torsion

• Ovarian Torsion (CDEM 2019)

Textbooks

• Cope’s Early Diagnosis of the Acute Abdomen (Silen 2010)