Incidental abdominal heterotaxy syndrome

Source: Laboratory of Jonathan Flombaum—Johns Hopkins University

Source: Joseph Donroe, MD, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
Abdominal pain is a frequent presenting concern in both the emergency department and the office setting. Acute abdominal pain is defined as pain lasting less than seven days, while an acute abdomen refers to the abrupt onset of severe abdominal pain with features suggesting a surgically intervenable process. The differential diagnosis of acute abdominal pain is broad; thus, clinicians must have a...

Once the aorta traverses the diaphragmatic plane at the aortic hiatus, it is known as the abdominal aorta. This anatomical structure is positioned leftward of the spinal column, encased within a cocoon of adipose tissue behind the peritoneal cavity. It terminates at the L4 vertebra, where it splits into the common iliac arteries. Prior to this bifurcation, the abdominal aorta gives rise to several vital branches.
The celiac trunk, a singular artery, divides into the left gastric artery, which...

Acute Wallenberg's syndrome can be misdiagnosed as a non-stroke disease, such as auditory vertigo. Thus, careful neurological examination, which is sometimes difficult for non-neurologists, is necessary for precise diagnosis. Here, we present a simple, rapid, noninvasive, and cost-effective method for detection of acute Wallenberg's syndrome using portable...

Source: Alexander Goldfarb, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, MA
Medical percussion is based on the difference in pitch between the sounds elicited by tapping on the body wall. The auditory response to tapping depends on the ease with which the body wall vibrates, and is influenced by underlying organs, strength of the stroke, and the state of the body wall. There are three main medical percussion sounds: resonance (heard over lungs), tympany (heard over...

Source: Alexander Goldfarb, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, MA
Abdominal palpation, if performed correctly, allows for examination of the large and relatively superficial organs; for a skilled examiner, it allows for assessment of the smaller and deeper structures as well. The amount of information that can be obtained by palpation of the abdominal area also depends on the anatomical characteristics of the patient. For example, obesity might make...