ACUTE ABDOMEN;

CAUSES

Abstract

Introduction: The term “acute abdomen” denotes any sudden spontaneous
non-traumatic disorder whose chief manifestation is in the abdominal area. There is frequently a progressive underlying
intra-abdominal disorder, the correct early diagnosis and treatment of which is essential for a favorable outcome.
Objectives: (I) To find out the most common causes of acute abdomen. (II) To compare the preoperative assessment
with postoperative diagnosis. Design: A Non-interventional Analytical (Comparative) study. Setting: Emergency
department of Combined Military Hospital Kharian. Period: Oct 2001 to Mar 2002. Patients & Methods: Total of 220
patients who presented with acute abdomen. Results: The most frequent cause was found to be Acute Appendicitis,
followed by Nonspecific abdominal pain, acute cholecystitis, acute intestinal obstruction and perforated duodenal ulcer.
Preoperative diagnosis was wrong in 9.5% (n=21) of cases. Conclusion: Acute appendicitis was found to be the most
common cause of acute abdomen and the single most important cause of acute abdominal pain causing great
diagnostic difficulties. the preoperative diagnostic accuracy can be increased especially in female of child bearing age
by using modern diagnostic tools especially laparoscopy.