Abdominal Exam
Abdominal Exam - Related Videos
13:32
Abdominal Exam IV: Acute Abdominal Pain Assessment
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2023
Source: Joseph Donroe, MD, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT Abdominal pain is a frequent presenting concern in both the emergency department and the office setting. Acute abdominal pain is defined as pain lasting less than seven days, while an acute abdomen refers to the abrupt onset of severe abdominal pain with features suggesting a surgically intervenable process. The differential diagnosis of acute abdominal pain is broad; thus, clinicians must have a...
06:50
Abdominal Exam II: Percussion
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2023
Source: Alexander Goldfarb, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, MA Medical percussion is based on the difference in pitch between the sounds elicited by tapping on the body wall. The auditory response to tapping depends on the ease with which the body wall vibrates, and is influenced by underlying organs, strength of the stroke, and the state of the body wall. There are three main medical percussion sounds: resonance (heard over lungs), tympany (heard over...
08:25
Abdominal Exam III: Palpation
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2023
Source: Alexander Goldfarb, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, MA Abdominal palpation, if performed correctly, allows for examination of the large and relatively superficial organs; for a skilled examiner, it allows for assessment of the smaller and deeper structures as well. The amount of information that can be obtained by palpation of the abdominal area also depends on the anatomical characteristics of the patient. For example, obesity might make...
07:56
Abdominal Exam I: Inspection and Auscultation
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2023
Source: Alexander Goldfarb, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, MA Gastrointestinal disease accounts for millions of office visits and hospital admissions annually. Physical examination of the abdomen is a crucial tool in diagnosing diseases of the gastrointestinal tract; in addition, it can help identify pathological processes in cardiovascular, urinary, and other systems. As physical examination in general, the examination of the abdominal region is...
05:47
Use of a Rat Model to Study Ventral Abdominal Hernia Repair
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Cited by 5 •
2017
This manuscript describes methods associated with creation and repair of a ventral abdominal wall defect (hernia). This model can be used to study repair strategies such as those that use implanted materials. In this manuscript, repair of the experimental hernia with porcine small intestinal submucosa is presented as an example.
FAQs
The sequence organizes different types of evidence before interpretation becomes more focused. Inspection identifies visible features, auscultation evaluates bowel sounds, percussion contributes information from abdominal notes, and palpation assesses tenderness, masses, organ enlargement, and peritoneal irritation. Considering these findings in order helps clinicians compare normal anatomy with patterns suggesting obstruction, inflammation, fluid accumulation, or organ disease.
Specific findings provide clues rather than isolated diagnoses. Distension may fit patterns associated with obstruction or fluid accumulation, while tenderness and peritoneal irritation can support concern for inflammation. Palpable masses or enlarged organs may indicate localized or systemic pathology. Clinicians interpret these observations together with the patient’s history and other examination findings to build a differential diagnosis.
Percussion adds information through the character of abdominal notes, whereas palpation assesses physical features that inspection cannot establish directly. Palpation can identify tenderness, masses, organ enlargement, and signs of peritoneal irritation. Used alongside visual findings and bowel sounds, these techniques help determine whether an abnormality is more consistent with altered contents, inflammation, fluid, or organ pathology.
Although centered on the abdomen, the assessment can provide clues about several organ systems. Findings may relate to gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, urinary, or vascular disease, as well as other systemic conditions. This broad scope is why clinicians do not interpret abdominal findings in isolation. The observed pattern must be matched with the history and findings from other examinations.
A systematic examination generally begins with inspection, followed by auscultation, percussion, and palpation. The clinician records visual findings, evaluates bowel sounds, considers percussion notes, and examines for tenderness, masses, organ enlargement, and peritoneal irritation. Maintaining this consistent workflow supports comparison between examinations and makes the resulting findings easier to integrate into clinical decision-making.
The examination helps determine whether additional evaluation is warranted and which clinical questions require clarification. Findings such as distension, abnormal bowel sounds, tenderness, masses, organ enlargement, or peritoneal irritation can strengthen concern for obstruction, inflammation, fluid accumulation, or organ pathology. Integrated with the history and other examinations, this information supports decisions about laboratory or imaging studies.
Repeated examinations allow clinicians to monitor how abdominal findings change over time. Comparing tenderness, distension, bowel sounds, palpable abnormalities, or signs of peritoneal irritation can show whether a suspected process is stable, improving, or becoming more concerning. Serial findings are most meaningful when documented systematically and interpreted alongside the patient’s history and other clinical information.