ABSTRACT

The ‘‘acute abdomen’’ can be defined as abdominal pain that necessitates prompt assessment, diagnosis, and early treatment, often operative. This emergency is increasingly common in patients aged 65 and older. First, the elderly represent one of the fastest growing segments of the population in North America. Second, not only are people living longer because of advances in medicine, nutrition, and sanitation, but they are also enjoying relatively good health and remaining active. Not unexpectedly, the primary care physician will be confronted with an increasing number of elderly patients complaining of abdominal pain. Diagnosis of acute conditions of the abdomen in the geriatric patient is a major challenge because of its protean manifestations and diverse causes. This chapter will review the diagnosis and treatment of conditions specific to acute conditions of the abdomen in the older patient.