Emergency Radiology of the Abdomen and Pelvis

Abstract Imaging plays a key role in the assessment of blunt abdominal trauma patients since clinical examination has been shown unreliable in this setting. If ultrasound and conventional radiology are mainly used for the initial triage phase at the resuscitation bay (primary survey), CT has become the leading imaging tool to be systematically used in hemodynamically blunt abdominal stable patients. CT signs are now included in most of the classifications and grading organ systems used by the radiologists, the emergency physician, and the surgeons for both the diagnostic and the therapeutic management of these patients, in which angiographic interventional procedures also play a growing role ( Pierre-Alexandre Poletti ). Abdominal pain is a common reason for presentation to the emergency department. Particularly given the fast-paced work environment and frequently nonspecific data from history and physical examination, medical imaging proves indispensable in guiding management of patients presenting with abdominal pain. While the number of conditions that may lead to abdominal pain are myriad, this portion of the chapter will begin with conditions divided by abdominal quadrants, followed by conditions that may present with more diffuse symptoms ( Vincent M Mellnick ).