Acute abdomen

An acute abdomen is the clinical picture of sudden, severe abdominal pain, and in many cases it is a medical emergency that needs prompt and specific diagnosis. It is a presentation rather than one disease, and several of its causes need immediate surgery. Common causes include perforation of the gastrointestinal tract, peptic ulcer disease, loss of blood supply to the bowel, acute inflammation of the gallbladder, appendicitis, diverticulitis, pancreatitis and abdominal bleeding, with ruptured ovarian cysts and ectopic pregnancy added in pregnant patients. Computed tomography or ultrasound of the abdomen and pelvis is the preferred imaging, and current evidence shows that giving early pain relief, including opioids, does not delay the diagnosis.