Teaching Points
- An acute abdomen can be defined as severe, persistent abdominal pain of sudden onset that requires immediate surgical or medical review
- Plain Film Radiography (PFR) has limited efficacy in an unselected population with acute abdominal pain, as it rarely alters clinical management
- Utilising PFR for the assessment of 'non-specific abdominal pain' is unlikely to yield a positive finding. Significantly, unrelated or incidental pathology can be identified and alter clinical management erroneously
- Evidence and consensus indications for plain film radiography in the
investigation of 'non-traumatic acute abdominal pain' include;
- Suspected bowel obstruction or ileus
- Suspected bowel perforation
- Ingested foreign body
- Severe abdominal pain/tenderness of unknown origin requiring opiate analgesia
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