[Which acute abdominal diseases must have urgent surgery?]

To answer this question, a prospective study of 342 patients was carried out. 18% could be discharged after exclusion of any serious disease; 63% were admitted for observation and in some cases delayed operation; in 19% of cases an emergency operation was performed (mostly for appendicitis and obstruction). The decision for early operation depended largely on the simple methods of history and repeated examination. More complicated diagnostic methods were helpful in a few cases only.