A Practical Approach to Nontraumatic, Nongynecologic Abdominal Pain in the Adolescent Patient

Abdominal pain is a frequent complaint among adolescents presenting to the emergency department. Complete history, physical examination, and appropriate screening tests are the physician's major tools for differentiating the various etiologies. Although the physician often must be prepared to deal with uncertainty, the first priority is to recognize potentially life-threatening conditions and to institute appropriate consultations or therapies.