ABSTRACT
Abdominal pain in childhood can be classified as acute or chronic. It is one of the commonest presenting complaints of childhood. In the clinical setting acute surgical conditions present with pain followed by vomiting, whereas a medical cause presents with vomiting as the presenting feature. In a child presenting with an acute onset of abdominal pain, simple observation of the child provides valuable information. Intussusception is invagination of the proximal bowel into distal bowel, usually the ileum into the caecum. Testicular torsion can be intra- or extravaginal. Intravaginal torsion occurs in older children and is due to torsion within the tunica vaginalis secondary to anomalous testicular suspension or the ‘bell and clapper’ deformity. Malrotation is a congenital abnormal position of the bowel within the peritoneal cavity, usually involving both the small and the large bowel. Appendicitis is the commonest cause of acute abdominal pain in children requiring surgical intervention.
