← Back to Symptoms A-Z

Abdominal Pain

Emergency

Abdominal pain spans benign self-limited conditions and immediately life-threatening surgical emergencies. Use this page to orient to the acute abdomen, abdominal aortic aneurysm, hepatobiliary disease, obstruction, and inflammatory causes.

Red flags

  • Shock, syncope, severe pain out of proportion, or peritonism
  • GI bleeding, pulsatile abdominal mass, or collapse
  • Fever with guarding/rigidity or rapidly worsening distension
  • Persistent vomiting with dehydration or bowel obstruction features

Common causes to keep in the differential

Appendicitis
Cholecystitis / biliary colic
Bowel obstruction
Pancreatitis
Upper or lower GI bleeding
Abdominal aortic aneurysm

Linked MedVellum pathways

Appendicitis

Urgent

Classic and atypical appendicitis patterns.

Open topic

Cholecystitis

Urgent

Gallbladder inflammation, imaging, and management.

Open topic

Bowel obstruction

Emergency

Mechanical obstruction, closed-loop risk, and surgical triggers.

Open topic

Abdominal aortic aneurysm

Emergency

AAA, rupture red flags, and vascular management.

Open topic

Next practical steps

  • Decide early whether this is an unstable acute abdomen or a stable diagnostic workup.
  • Use the linked topics to structure common surgical and vascular differentials.
  • Escalate for peritonitis, sepsis, or suspected ruptured AAA.

Search the full library

Use MedVellum search when the presentation is mixed, atypical, or you need a broader differential before narrowing into a topic page.

Search MedVellum