Emergency room: Clarify acute abdominal pain with ultrasound

21.10.2015 16:25

Sudden, severe abdominal pain can be a sign of a life-threatening emergency, such as an intestinal obstruction. In order to clarify an “acute abdomen”, doctors should carry out an ultrasound examination using the so-called FAS concept, recommends the German Society for Ultrasound in Medicine (DEGUM).

FAS stands for “Focused Abdomen Sonography” and serves as a systematic guide through the examination. The concept involves a systematic transducer tour of the patient's abdomen. In addition to noticeable accumulations of fluids or air, the doctor should recognize pathological expansions of hollow organs containing fluid and, if found, can arrange follow-up examinations.

The procedure enables even less experienced doctors in the emergency department to quickly make the correct diagnosis and give patients the necessary treatment quickly. Unlike computer tomography, ultrasound does not require X-rays and is immediately available to doctors in the emergency room. “However, CT is complex and associated with a radiation risk,” says also Dr. med. Matthias Wüstner, Head Physician of the Central Interdisciplinary Sonography (ZIS) at the Hospital of the Brothers of Mercy in Trier and Head of the DEGUM Surgery Section.

“In clinical studies, sonography has achieved the same diagnostic accuracy as CT for all of the above-mentioned questions,” emphasizes Wüstner. However, the correct interpretation of the ultrasound images depends on the knowledge, experience and qualifications of the doctor and so DEGUM offers further training for doctors in the field of ultrasound diagnostics and issues certificates with which doctors can document their knowledge to clinics and patients.