ASSESSING THE ABDOMEN

To collect additional history from the patient and gain more information about their condition, a comprehensive assessment of the patient’s presenting symptoms must be conducted. The clinician should obtain a detailed description of the abdominal pain, including its quality (e.g., sharp, dull), location (e.g., epigastric or radiating to back), duration, and any associated symptoms such as nausea and vomiting. Additionally, questions regarding recent changes in diet or activity levels should be asked in order to rule out causes related to lifestyle choices prior to evaluating other possible causes for abdominal pain. Furthermore, it is important to ask about family history involving AAA or pancreatitis considering this information may yield greater insight into underlying conditions that could contribute to abdominal pain. Physical exams are an important part of diagnosing patients with abdominal pain; they provide clinicians with information necessary for further evaluation and can assist in narrowing down potential diagnoses. During physical exams, clinicians should evaluate the patient’s vital signs – temperature, blood pressure and heart rate – as well as their general appearance (i.e., color). Clinicians should also inspect the abdomen for tenderness or masses which may indicate perforated ulcer or AAA respectively; additionally palpation for areas of tenderness would also help determine if there are any localized sites associated with the patient’s abdominal discomfort indicating inflammation from pancreatitis which could occur alongside AAA formation or perforation due to ulcer formation . A thorough neurological exam will also be performed since lower abdomen conditions can affect nerve pathways leading up towards brain structures responsible for sensation perception including those located within limbic regions like amygdala/hippocampal complex & insula/thalamus system which then link directly brain stem nucleii involved in autonomic responses such as HR & BP regulation through sympathetic-parasympathetic pathways . Diagnostic tests provide essential information that can help clinicians make accurate diagnoses when assessing patients with abdominal pain; these tests allow healthcare professionals to visualize internal organs thereby determining if pathology exists without having to perform invasive procedures such as exploratory surgeries . Commonly used diagnostic imaging techniques include ultrasounds (US) also known as sonography scans , computed tomography angiograms (CTA) , magnetic resonance imaging scans (MRI) & positron emission tomography scans (PET) which all use different frequencies & radiation types in order capture images inside body cavities/organs being studied on monitor screens helping physicians detect disorders by comparing normal anatomical features against actual ones found during scan process thus allowing them diagnose most cases accurately even before final result reports received due confirmatory testing have completed . The results of both physical exams and diagnostic tests will be used together by medical professionals when making a diagnosis; physical examinations generally yield subjective results while diagnostic test results provide objective measurement values that can be compared against established norms depending upon specific disorder suspected given particular case presentation environment being evaluated at time initial assessment occurred therefore helping doctors arrive at most probable cause based off combined data sets obtained throughout course investigation into purposeful resolution end goal desired outcome achieved optimal level care provided each individual patient situation.