When I think of abdominal pain evaluation, I think of Cope’s Early Diagnosis of the Acute Abdomen
What does one say about the 21st edition of an authoritative clinical text first published in 1921? This revised edition by the eminent surgeon William Silen clearly demonstrates the beauty of succinct medical writing and the durability of clinical pearls. The previous edition was published in 2000 and the march of technology has continued relentlessly, threatening to overwhelm even the most ardent medical student’s or resident’s desire to obtain a complete history and perform a rigorous physical examination on patients presenting with symptoms and signs consistent with an acute abdomen.
Abdominal pain in many ways represents the epitome of history, physical exam and diagnostic testing. Lisa Sanders writes about a challenging story of abdominal pain in an adolescent. As usual she writes the story beautifully, and as a reader I kept trying to solve the story.
