SMALL-BOWEL OBSTRUCTION
CASE SCENARIO Print Section Listen A 62-year-old woman with worsening mid-abdominal pain, bloating, obstipation, nausea, and bilious vomiting presents to the emergency department. Her past surgical history is significant for…
ACUTE APPENDICITIS
CASE SCENARIO Print Section Listen A 27-year-old woman with no past medical history presents to the emergency room with 24 hours of abdominal pain. The day prior to presentation, she…
PLAIN FILMS: BASICS
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen X-rays are high-energy electromagnetic waves that have been used in diagnostic imaging since their discovery in 1896 by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen. They consist of electromagnetic components…
LARGE-BOWEL OBSTRUCTION
CASE SCENARIO Print Section Listen An 84-year-old woman with a history of Parkinson’s disease presents to the emergency department with mental status changes and progressive abdominal distension. She is currently…
DIVERTICULITIS
CASE SCENARIO Print Section Listen A 47-year-old man presents to the emergency room with 3 days of abdominal pain. The pain is localized in the left lower quadrant and suprapubic…
ULTRASOUND: BASICS
ESSENTIAL CONCEPTS Print Section Listen Ultrasound imaging uses the pulse-echo principle in which a short burst of sound waves are emitted from a transducer and directed to the underlying tissue….
BEDSIDE ULTRASOUND FOR SURGEONS
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Ultrasound is an available, portable tool that is easy to use and can provide the clinician with essential information for patient care. The use of ultrasound…
PERFORATED HOLLOW VISCUS
CASE SCENARIO Print Section Listen An 80-year-old woman with hypertension presents to the emergency department with the sudden onset of severe abdominal pain. The pain began abruptly 1 hour prior…
COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY: BASICS
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Computed tomography (CT) has gained widespread acceptance for the evaluation of patients in the emergency setting. Its cross-sectional nature confers significant reliability and accuracy in detecting…
