Approach to Acute Abdominal Pain: Practical Algorithms

CONTEXT: Acute abdominal pain is one of the most common complaints of patients admitted to emergency units. This study aimed to propose a new approach to abdominal pain by designing a more structured diagnostic workup for physicians. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: A comprehensive review of relevant articles and algorithms presented in books and websites was conducted. Approaches which were relevant to the study concept, were selected. RESULTS: Seven algorithms were introduced with respect to the site of abdominal tenderness. The mainstay of these algorithms was differential diagnosis of the tenderness site. CONCLUSION: Based on the findings, the designed approach can prevent confusion among physicians and reduce requests for many unnecessary paraclinical tests, which delay the final diagnosis and impose unacceptable costs on patients and healthcare systems.