ABSTRACT
Introduction A bdom inal pain accounts for over five m illion visits annually to Em ergency D e
partments. Between 20-40% o f these patients will require inpatient admission. How ever, it is often difficult to arrive at the etiology o f abdom inal pain in the course o f the E D visit. In particular, w om en who are o f child-bearing age or pregnant, chil dren and elderly patients create a diagnostic challenge (due to atypical presenta tions). Unfortunately, m any o f the disease processes share similar clinical presentations and m ay be difficult to sort out by history alone. Physical examination and labora tory evaluation can both lack sensitivity, m aking the job o f the emergency physician difficult. Therefore, the diagnosis o f abdom en pain o f unclear etiology is a com m on diagnosis m ade in cases where the underlying pathology is not clear. T h is obligates the physician to provide patients with adequate reexamination to m onitor the pro gression o f the process.
