Acute abdominal pain

Acute abdominal pain is a complaint seen commonly in the outpatient setting. In some patients, abdominal pain may be a symptom of an underlying life-threatening disease process, whereas in others, the underlying cause may be more benign. It is imperative that the physician approaches each patient in a systematic manner to help narrow the differential diagnosis and to determine which patients need a more expedited evaluation. An understanding of the mechanisms of pain generation and a familiarity with the presentations of common causes of abdominal pain will aid the physician in the appropriate evaluation and triage of patients who present with acute abdominal pain.