Pelvic pain: lessons from anatomy and physiology.
Pelvic pain is often a difficult differential diagnosis in the emergency department. For physiologic reasons, pain in the pelvis is difficult to localize to a specific organ, and pelvic peritonitis is hard to recognize. On the other hand, differences in types of pain can be very useful in arriving at a correct diagnosis. The clinician must learn to recognize superficial and deep somatic pain, and differentiate between various types of visceral pain which originate from inflammation, ischemia, or colic. A review of the anatomy and physiology of pelvic pain helps identify some of the problems as well as potential aids in approaching the patient with pelvic pain.
Abbott
J
J
Department of Surgery, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver 80262.
D000328:Adult; D001064:Appendicitis / Q000503:physiopathology; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010048:Ovarian Cysts / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D010049:Ovarian Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000292:Pelvic Inflammatory Disease / Q000503:physiopathology; D010388:Pelvis / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000294:innervation*; D010538:Peritonitis / Q000503:physiopathology; D014102:Torsion Abnormality