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Daniel Hershey, MD, SFHM, "Acute Abdomen", Caring for the Hospitalized Child: A Handbook of Inpatient Pediatrics, American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Hospital Medicine, Jeffrey C. Gershel, MD, FAAP, Daniel A. Rauch, MD, FAAP, SFHM
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Acute abdomen, also known as surgical abdomen, is a surgical emergency. It is imperative to identify this diagnosis early. However, this can be a difficult task, given the wide range of etiologies and presentations, especially among young children.
Appendicitis is the most common surgical cause of pediatric acute abdomen, but the differential diagnosis includes nonsurgical entities, such as constipation. Age is a major determinant of the diagnoses to consider (Box 106–1). For example, the most common causes of acute abdomen in infants include intussusception and incarcerated inguinal hernia, but for adolescents appendicitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, and ovarian torsion...
