Abdomen Assessment and Anatomy

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering abdominal assessment, anatomy, physical examination steps, diagnostic signs, and related conditions.

Viscera

All internal organs located inside the abdominal cavity.

Solid Viscera

Internal abdominal organs that maintain a characteristic shape, including the liver, pancreas, spleen, adrenal glands, kidneys, ovaries, and uterus.

Hollow Viscera

Internal abdominal organs whose shape depends on their contents, including the stomach, gallbladder, small intestine, colon, and bladder.

Peritoneum

Membrane that lines the abdominal wall (parietal) and covers the surface (visceral) of most abdominal organs.

Right Upper Quadrant (RUQ)

liver: filter out toxins from blood

gallbladder: store and digest bile

duodenum: mixes bile and pancreatic enzymes

head of pancreas: break down of food and bicarbonate

insulin and glycogen

oldosterone, adrenaline, cortisol

right kidney: filter blood and adrenal gland: produces oldosterone, adrenaline, cortisol

hepatic flexure of colon: helps make intestinal contents move to large intestine

parts of the ascending and transverse colon: absorbs water and eletrolytes and move stool to descending colon

Left Upper Quadrant (LUQ)

stomach: stores food and mixes with gastric acid and enzymes

spleen: filters blood, remove old or damaged rbc

aorta: carries blood away

left lobe of liver: process nutrients, harmful substances, produces bile and stores vitamins and minerals

body of pancreas: produces digestive enzymes, insulin and glucagon

left kidney: filter out blood and remove through pee and adrenal gland: produces hormones like aldosterone and adrenaline and electrolytes

splenic flexure of colon; absorbs water and electrolytes helps move contents to large intestine

parts of the transverse and descending colon: absorbs water and electrolytes and stores and moves stool

Right Lower Quadrant (RLQ)

cecum: receives from small intestine and begins the absorption process and salts of large intestine

appendix: contains immune tissue

right ovary: procedures estrogen and progesterone

right ovary tube tube; move eggs toward uterus and fertilize

right ureter: transport urine from right kidney to bladder

right spermatic cord: supports testicle and contains vas deferent transport sperm to urethra, blood vessels, nerves

Left Lower Quadrant (LLQ)

descending colon: absorbs water and electrolytes and moves stool to sigmoid

sigmoid colon: stores stool and moves it to rectum

left ovary: produces ova with estrogen and progesterone

left tube: carries egg to uterus and starts fertilization

left ureter: transport urine from left kidney to bladder

left spermatic cord: supports testicle and contains vas deferent transport sperm to urethra, blood vessels, nerves

Lactose Intolerance

Inability to absorb milk sugar due to lactase deficiency, leading to abdominal pain, bloating, and flatulence; estimated incidence is $20\%$ to $30\%$ of whites, $70\%$ of Mexican Americans, $80\%$ of blacks, and $100\%$ of American Indians.

Celiac Disease

Autoimmune disorder affecting less than $1\%$ of the population, characterized by intolerance to gluten that causes intestinal inflammation, damage to the small intestine, and malabsorption.

Abdominal Assessment Sequence

The precise physical assessment sequence consisting of Inspection, Auscultation, Percussion, and Palpation, structured so auscultation occurs before percussion and palpation to prevent false increases in peristalsis.

Abdominal Contour Profiles

Nutritional and physical profiles evaluated from the rib margin to the pubic bone, categorized as flat, scaphoid, rounded, or protuberant.

Borborygmus

A hyperactive bowel sound resulting from hyperperistalsis, commonly described as stomach growling.

Hypoactive Bowel Sounds

Decreased bowel motility sounds occurring at a rate of less than $3/\text{minute}$, often seen after abdominal surgery or with peritoneal inflammation.

Hyperactive Bowel Sounds

Loud, high-pitched, cascading bowel sounds that signal increased gastrointestinal motility.

Silent Abdomen

The complete absence of bowel sounds, which requires continuous listening for $5\,\text{minutes}$ by a watch before clinical confirmation.

Abdominal Bruit Auscultation Sites

Vascular locations listened to using the bell of a stethoscope with firm pressure, including the aorta, renal arteries, iliac arteries, and femoral arteries.

Costovertebral Angle Tenderness

Pain elicited by indirect fist percussion over the 12th rib at the costovertebral angle on the back, indicating kidney inflammation.

Normally Palpable Abdominal Structures

Anatomical structures that can normally be felt on palpation, including the xiphoid process, normal liver edge, lower pole of right kidney, pulsatile aorta, rectus muscles, sacral promontory, ascending colon, cecum, sigmoid colon, gravid uterus, and full bladder.

Hooking Technique

An alternative liver palpation method where the examiner stands at the patient's right shoulder and hooks fingertips over the right costal margin as the patient takes a deep breath.

Splenomegaly

Enlargement of the spleen to three times its normal size required to make it palpable; caused by mononucleosis, leukemia, lymphomas, portal hypertension, and HIV infection.

Ascites

Free fluid in the peritoneal cavity producing a distended abdomen, bulging flanks, and a protruding umbilicus, evaluated using the fluid wave and shifting dullness tests.

Rebound Tenderness (Blumberg's Sign)

Pain experienced upon the sudden release of deep abdominal pressure, indicating peritoneal inflammation or appendicitis.

Inspiratory Arrest (Murphy's Sign)

Sudden stop in inspiration accompanied by sharp pain when the inflamed gallbladder palpably strikes the examiner's fingers during deep inhalation, indicating cholecystitis.

Alvarado Score (MANTRELS Score)

A clinical scoring evaluation tool used to evaluate right lower quadrant (RLQ) pain for suspected appendicitis.

Referred Abdominal Pain

Visceral pain projected to distant superficial body regions, such as shoulder pain from a perforated duodenal ulcer or midscapular back pain from pancreatitis.