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Abdominal Examination Benchmarks ______ _
Preparation and Positioning:
Stand on the right side of the patient. The patient should be supine and double draped so only the abdomen is exposed To relax the abdominal muscles o The head should be supported by a pillow o The knees should be slightly flexed. A pillow beneath the knees helps. o The hands are on the chest or by their side Your hands should be warm The painful or tender area of the abdomen should be examined last.
After completing the Foundations of Clinical Medicine, you should be able to perform a comprehensive abdominal exam:
Inspection
Observe the patient for increased discomfort with movement. Inspect the abdominal contour, observing for distention or masses. Inspect the skin as you examine the abdomen, noting scars and skin lesions
Auscultation
Listen in one place with the diaphragm of the stethoscope until you hear bowel sounds If you suspect renovascular hypertension, listen for bruits in the epigastrium and upper quadrants If you suspect peripheral vascular disease, listen for bruits over the femoral arteries
Percussion & Palpation
Percuss all four quadrants observing for tenderness and tympany Palpate all 4 quadrants for tenderness or masses Percuss the upper and lower liver margins in the R mid-clavicular line Palpate the lower liver edge Palpate for an enlarged spleen Palpate for inguinal masses and adenopathy If you suspect ascites, test for a fluid wave If you suspect ascites, test for shifting dullness In patients at risk for aortic aneurysm, palpate the abdominal aorta
Inspection
Observe the patient for increased discomfort with movement. Inspect the abdominal contour, observing for distention or masses. Inspect the skin as you examine the abdomen, noting scars and skin lesions
Tips on technique:
Increased pain with sudden movement is a clue to peritonitis. Observe the patient with coughing, walking or sudden movement of the bed. Patients with peritonitis typically prefer to lay still.
Abnormal findings:
A protuberant abdomen may be caused by obesity, tumors, pregnancy, or distention by gas or fluid Dilated abdominal wall veins are a clue to portal hypertension.
Auscultation
Listen in one place with the diaphragm of the stethoscope until you hear bowel sounds If you suspect renovascular hypertension, listen for bruits in the epigastrium and upper quadrants If you suspect peripheral vascular disease, listen for bruits over the femoral arteries
Tips on technique:
Auscultation of the abdomen is classically performed before palpation and percussion, as these maneuvers might alter bowel sounds. Bowel sounds are transmitted throughout the abdomen. Listening in one place is sufficient. The frequency and intensity of bowel sounds vary substantially in a normal person. In order to say that bowel sounds are absent, you must listen for at least 2 minutes.
Abnormal findings:
Absent bowel sounds indicate: o Ileus, which may be caused by surgery, opiates, or medical illness o Complete bowel obstruction o Peritonitis Tinkling bowel sounds interspersed with silence are classically described in partial small bowel obstruction. Bruits º Abdominal bruits are heard in up to 20% of healthy people, and are more common in those under
- These bruits are probably caused by blood flow through the normal celiac axis. º In patients with severe and difficult to control hypertension the finding of a continuous bruit strongly suggests renovascular hypertension. The finding of a systolic bruit supports the diagnosis less strongly, and the absence of a bruit does not rule out renovascular hypertension.
o Percuss one side of the abdomen with the fingers of one hand while holding the other hand against the opposite side. o A positive result is a tap against the hand caused by a wave of ascitic fluid set in motion by percussion. This is a specific finding that supports the presence of ascites.
Shifting dullness o Starting at the umbilicus, percuss from anterior to posterior, marking the border between resonance and dullness. o Have the patient roll halfway to one side or the other, and again mark the border between resonance and dullness. o A positive result is a shift in the border. This specific finding supports the presence of ascites.
Abnormal findings:
Percussion tenderness: Gentle percussion causes pain, either at the site of tenderness or elsewhere in the abdomen. This finding suggests peritonitis.
Rigidity is an INVOLUNTARY contraction of the abdominal musculature in response to peritoneal inflammation.
Guarding is a VOLUNTARY contraction of the abdominal musculature due to tenderness, fear, cold hands, or anxiety.
McBurney’s point tenderness: Anatomically, McBurney’s point is the location of the appendix in most adults: 1/3 of the distance from the right anterior superior iliac spine to the umbilicus. Tenderness at this point is a more specific finding of appendicitis than general RLQ tenderness.
Murphy’s sign is a finding of acute cholecystitis. The examiner palpates under the right costal margin in the midclavicular line and observes as the patient breathes in. Murphy’s sign is present if the patient has a pause in inspiration and increased tenderness as the inflamed gallbladder hits the examiner’s finger. It is a more specific finding of cholecystitis than RUQ tenderness.
Abnormal liver edge: The liver edge normally lies under the rib cage at the R midclavicular line. A firm, cirrhotic liver is more likely to be palpable than a normal liver. If the liver edge is palpated, feel carefully for clues to cirrhosis. The cirrhotic liver is firmer than normal, and may have palpable irregularity or nodules.
Splenomegaly : The normal spleen is not palpable. If it is palpable, it is enlarged. Common causes of splenomegaly are cirrhosis, hematologic malignancies, and infectious diseases.
