The Abdomen

Published on 02/03/2015 by admin

Filed under Internal Medicine

Last modified 02/03/2015

Print this page

rate 1 star rate 2 star rate 3 star rate 4 star rate 5 star
Your rating: none, Average: 3 (2 votes)

This article have been viewed 7986 times

Chapter 15 The Abdomen

A. The Abdominal Wall

Although many maneuvers belong more to the art (and folklore) than to the science of medicine, inspection, palpation, and auscultation of the abdominal wall (actually, auscultation, percussion, and palpation—since the order in this case is different from that of other organs) still allow the detection of useful findings. Abdominal percussion as applied to selective organs (mainly the liver, spleen, kidneys, and bladder) is discussed separately.

3 What are the most important contours on lateral inspection?

image

Figure 15-2 Lateral abdominal contours. A, Cupid’s bow of pancreatitis. B, Fat. C, Bladder distention.

(Adapted from Sapira J: The Art and Science of Bedside Diagnosis. Baltimore, Williams & Wilkins, 1990.)

image

Figure 15-3 The appearance of moderate distention of the large gut.

(From Silen W: Cope’s Early Diagnosis of the Acute Abdomen, 19th ed. New York, Oxford University Press, 1996, with permission.)

image

Figure 15-4 The ladder pattern of abdominal distention dictating obstruction of the lower ileum.

(From Silen W: Cope’s Early Diagnosis of the Acute Abdomen, 19th ed. New York, Oxford University Press, 1996, with permission.)

7 What is Sister Mary Joseph’s nodule?

It is the most ominous of all umbilical protuberances, since it represents a metastatic node by an intra-abdominal malignancy (see Chapter 18, questions 45 and 46). It presents as a nontender, irregular, and often exfoliative protuberance, either completely replacing the umbilicus or being palpable through it. It should not be confused with an omphalith, which is another umbilical nodule, but due instead to poor personal hygiene, resulting in collection of sebum and keratin.

19 What is caput medusae?

It is the name given to the abnormal venous networks of portal hypertension. It is most commonly seen in cirrhotics whose umbilical vein has reopened (see Cruveilhier-Baumgarten murmur, disease, and syndrome, discussed in question 34). This presents with a tuft of veins radiating from the umbilicus as spikes of a wheel or a nest of snakes; hence, the name. Some of these engorged veins drain rostrally into the internal mammary, whereas others drain caudally into the inferior mammary.

35 Who were these guys?

Léon Jean Baptiste Cruveilhier (1791–1874) was a French pathologist and the son of an army surgeon. Raised by Mom (because Dad was away fighting the Napoleonic wars), little Cruveilhier developed a strong interest in priesthood and very little stomach for medicine. This got him into trouble when Dad eventually came home, determined more than ever to turn his reluctant son into a well-respected physician. Forced to enter medical school, Cruveilhier fled after his first autopsy, finding temporary refuge in the nearby St. Sulpice seminary. Chased by Dad (and forced to re-enter medical school), he was finally entrusted to an old family friend, Baron Guillaume Dupuytren. This turned out to be a good idea, since Dupuytren became a mentor to Cruveilhier and a lifelong inspiration for the study of pathology. After graduating from Paris in 1816 (the same year Laënnec invented the stethoscope), Cruveilhier practiced in Limoges before becoming professor of surgery at Montpellier in 1823. Two years later, he moved to Paris, where in 1836 he took the chair of the newly created department of pathological anatomy. A modest man with neither clinical acumen nor eloquence, he was primarily a researcher who owed his fame to the books he wrote rather than the teaching he imparted. Author of a popular pathology textbook, he eventually reported the case of a French soldier who in 1813 had been captured by Hungarian troops, beaten with rifle butts to the belly, and left for dead. After spending 6 months in the hospital, he developed abdominal swelling and a loud umbilical murmur. Following his death in 1833, the autopsy had revealed a small and noncirrhotic liver, with a portosystemic shunt operated by large umbilical veins. Cruveilhier interpreted this as either a congenital variant or an acquired lesion provoked by war trauma.

Paul Clemens von Baumgarten (1848–1928) was a German pathologist. Also the son of a physician, he graduated from Leipzig a year before Cruveilhier’s death, and from 1874 to 1889, he taught at Königsberg, until moving to Tübingen, where he remained for the rest of his life. He also is famous for describing the tubercle bacillus in 1882, the same year as Koch but independently.

B. Liver

(1) Palpation of the Liver

46 Which edge can be palpated? How?

Only the lower edge is accessible, since the upper border is tucked deep into the rib cage and thus beyond the reach of the examiner’s fingers. To access the lower margin, ask the patient to lie supine, ideally with flexed hips and knees to better relax the abdominal wall (Fig. 15-10). To feel the edge, you can use one of three strategies, differing more in personal preference than value:

If you cannot feel the edge, you should probably end your liver exam at this point. If instead you do feel the edge, then determine its characteristics, and finally listen for rubs or bruits.

55 Does a palpable liver edge reflect hepatomegaly?

Not at all. Although many physicians do indeed screen for hepatomegaly by checking whether the liver is palpable at peak inspiration (and, if so, by measuring the number or centimeters—or finger breadths—below the costal margin), palpability of the edge is a highly inaccurate marker of organomegaly. A normal liver, for example, may become palpable simply because it is pushed down by an emphysematous lung. In fact, Palmer found a palpable edge in 57% of military personnel with normal liver tests and no history of liver disease (in 28% the edge was palpable ≥2   cm below the costal margin). Similarly, Riemenschneider found hepatomegaly at autopsy in less than one half of all patients with palpable liver on exam. In fact, there is no correlation between edge palpability and liver scan/autopsy data because palpability may have more to do with consistency of the edge, with the firmer liver of cirrhotics being more easily palpable.

58 How can one best determine hepatic size by percussion?

Through direct or indirect percussion (Fig. 15-11). Both are carried out during quiet respiration. The direct technique consists of a light abdominal percussion by the index finger alone. Indirect percussion is instead the more traditional combination of plexor and pleximeter, as, respectively, the striking and stricken finger. The pleximeter (usually the middle finger of one hand) is applied to the abdominal wall only by its distal interphalangeal joint (to avoid dampening of vibrations); the middle finger of the other hand is then used as a plexor against the pleximeter, usually tapping along the right MCL. Even when performing indirect percussion, it is important that you tap lightly, making the note barely audible to only yourself. By doing so, you can more easily identify the hepatic area as a change in percussion note, from resonant (pulmonary parenchyma), to dull (liver), and to resonant again (air-filled bowel loops). Yet, even this may lead to inaccuracies. Vertical liver span is the distance between two resonant points along the MCL, detected during either quiet breathing, or at the same phase of respiration. Direct percussion performed by gastroenterologists has been found to be more accurate than indirect percussion, yet a normal range of liver span for this technique has not been determined. Thus, indirect percussion should still be the maneuver of choice.

image

Figure 15-11 Technique for liver palpation.

(Adapted from Swartz MH: Textbook of Physical Diagnosis, 3rd ed. Philadelphia, WB Saunders, 1997.)

60 What is the scratch test?

It is a combined auscultatory/percussive maneuver aimed at localizing the inferior hepatic border (Fig. 15-12). Place the stethoscope either beneath the xiphoid or over the liver, just above the costal margin of the MCL. Then administer “scratches” in a cephalad fashion, by moving the finger along the MCL—from the right lower quadrant toward the costal margin. The point at which the scratching sound intensifies indicates a change in underlying tissue, and thus the presence of the lower liver edge. A variation of the test is auscultatory percussion, in which the examining finger does not scratch the abdominal wall but gently percusses it (or flickers it).

62 How accurate are these bedside techniques in diagnosing hepatomegaly?

Poorly accurate. Palpation of the lower liver edge has interobserver variability of 6   cm and intraobserver variability of 1–2   cm. Determination of liver span by percussion alone has interobserver variability of 2.5–8   cm, and intraobserver variability of 1–2   cm. Variability in measurement by percussion is usually due to changes in intensity of percussion, which may yield differences in span as great as 3   cm, primarily because of the difficulty in localizing the upper edge through interposed lung tissue. Direct percussion was shown by Skrainka et al. to be as accurate as ultrasound in estimating liver span, but this relied on skilled consultants. Other studies conducted among general practitioners, however, have yielded disappointing results. Overall, indirect percussion underestimates liver size (the lighter the percussion, the greater the underestimation). This may be overcome by using a firm technique and by comparing the measured span to the span predicted by nomograms, which take into account patients’ weight and height. A span >95% confidence intervals predicted by these tables most likely represents hepatomegaly. Nomograms also are available for a light percussive maneuver.