Study the incidence of abdominal malignancies presenting as acute abdomen: an observational study

Abstract

Background: Acute abdomen is one of the most common symptoms that bring a patient to an emergency department. An abdominal malignancy may be the cause of acute abdomen at least in a number of cases. The problem with this is the poorer outcome associated with it due to the lack of preoperative evaluation and preparation and also possible contamination that occurs in case of a perforation. This study aimed at studying the incidence of abdominal malignancies in the patients presenting as acute abdomen and the various presentations in which they present. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in the Department of General Surgery Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, Bihar India. This study was done during from  March 2015 to July 2016.who required surgery for acute abdomen were taken for the study and the incidence of malignancy in these cases were statistically assessed. Results: Out of the 400 patients who were operated for non-traumatic acute abdomen 73 patients i.e. 18.25% were found to have intra-abdominal malignancy. Carcinoma colon was the commonest malignancy, 52.05%. Carcinoma stomach and rectum were the next most common malignancy. Commonest presentation was as a case of intestinal obstruction, 79.45% followed by perforation 23.28%. Conclusions: In the era were the incidence and early detection of abdominal malignancies are on a rise, a significant portion of these cases present with acute abdominal symptoms and the morbidity associated with such a presentation is of importance. Early detection of the disease by screening is the solution forthis.

Keywords: Abdominal malignancies, Incidence, Intestinal obstruction, Perforation.