title: Pain as a presenting feature of acute abdomen in spinal injuries.
abstract: The diagnosis of acute abdomen can be difficult in patients with spinal injuries. We reviewed all the 1039 case records of patients admitted with spinal injuries to the Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injuries Unit, Glasgow over a 7-year-period and found 5 (0.48%) cases of acute abdomen that required surgical intervention and were not caused by original injury. Their presenting signs and symptoms were analysed. Pain was found to be an unreliable symptom in these patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup, Kent DA14 6LT, UK. kd3d@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Kamal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Deep
authors.forename: Vijay
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bhalaik
mesh_terms: D000006:Abdomen, Acute / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013124:Spinal Injuries / Q000150:complications*