Bowel Ultrasound Normal Anatomy The small bowel consists of the bowel distal to the stomach and proximal to the colon. It is approximately 5 meters long and includes the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. The small bowel contains prominent mucosal folds…
Introduction Patients with aortic pathology often present with nonspecific complaints or presentations such as back pain, abdominal pain, myocardial infarction (MI), or even stroke, making the diagnosis difficult. The adage of “abdominal pain plus one other organ system” should prompt…
Normal Anatomy Kidneys The kidneys are retroperitoneal structures and are surrounded by fascial layers, including Gerota’s fascia. There is direct supply of the renal arteries and veins to the kidney from the abdominal aorta. The right and left renal arteries…
Normal Anatomy The pancreas is mostly within the retroperitoneum in the anterior pararenal space. However, the tail of the pancreas is actually an intraperitoneal structure and in close relationship with the splenorenal ligament. To best understand the anatomy of the…
The Gallbladder Normal Anatomy The normal anatomy of the gallbladder, biliary tract, and surrounding organs is presented in Fig. 17.1 . The gallbladder is connected via the cystic duct to the common hepatic duct, forming the common bile duct (CBD)…
The Liver Normal Liver Normal Anatomy The cephalad portion of the liver is bounded by the diaphragm. The caudal extent of the liver is in close proximity to the stomach, the duodenum, and the large bowel and lies just cephalad…
Introduction The development of focused assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST) over 30 years ago enabled clinicians to rapidly screen for injury at the bedside of patients, especially those hemodynamically unstable for transport to the computed tomography (CT) suite. The…
Use of Ultrasound in the Undifferentiated Hypotensive Patient Care of the undifferentiated hypotensive patient is a challenge for clinicians, and identifying life-threatening conditions that are readily reversible is a priority. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has had a prominent role over the…
Introduction Undifferentiated chest pain presents a diagnostic dilemma because there are many potential causes, with some etiologies being imminently life threatening. These diagnoses often cannot be determined by history or physical examination alone. Patients may be hypotensive or deteriorate quickly,…
Introduction Patients presenting with undifferentiated shortness of breath can be challenging because their presentations can have many potential etiologies: pulmonary, cardiac, mixed cardiopulmonary, gastrointestinal, neurologic, or other noncardiopulmonary reasons. It is important to evaluate all organ systems potentially involved using…