ABSTRACT
In this chapter, an approach to the patient with abdominal pain is outlined. The management principles for common intra-abdominal infections, including diffuse peritonitis, cholecystitis, cholangitis, appendicitis, diverticulitis that causes localized peritonitis, and solid organ abscesses, are discussed. Current thoughts on prophylaxis for surgical infections are addressed, as are the evolving controversies regarding treatment of Heliobacter pylori infection. Other infectious causes of abdominal pain such as dysentery and food poisoning (Chapter 22), pyelonephritis (Chapter 15), gynecological infections (Chapter 16) and male genitourinary tract infections (Chapter 17) are covered in other sections of the text.
