Editorial

Clinical Diagnostics Versus A Theoretic Algorithm in Diagnosing Abdominal Pain

Authors: Atul K. Madan, MD

Abstract

n the United States, approximately half a million people are affected annually by gallbladder disease. Accurate diagnosis of acute cholecystitis versus a bad case of biliary colic is not always obvious, but distinguishing between the two has important therapeutic implications. Mills et al1 have performed a sophisticated statistical study relating clinical and laboratory variables with ultrasound findings in right upper quadrant abdominal pain. Their retrospective study includes 177 patients seen in a busy inner-city teaching hospital. They found four statistically significant predictors of ultrasound-diagnosed acute cholecystitis versus ultrasound-diagnosed cholelithiasis.

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References

1. Mills LD, Mills T, Foster B. Association of clinical and laboratory variables with ultrasound findings in right upper quadrant abdominal pain. South Med J 2004;97:155–161.