TECHNICAL advances have developed rapidly in many clinical areas, but diagnosis and management of the acute abdomen largely remain within the domain of clinical observations and experience. Successful treatment of the patient with acute abdomen depends upon early diagnosis, accurate judgment, and decisive action. The present report briefly describes the salient features of 21 patients with unusual and rare cases of acute abdomen, all of which were operated on and photographed by us. Fifteen percent of emergency abdominal operations were performed for uncommon or rare conditions.1 These unusual conditions should be differentiated from the common etiologies of acute abdomen as noted in the following tabulation.
Common Causes
1. Acute appendicitis2. Perforated peptic ulcer3. Incarcerated hernia4. Adhesive small bowel obstruction5. Acute pancreatitis6. Acute cholecystitis7. Large bowel obstruction due to carcinoma of the colon8. Diverticulitis
Unusual Causes
1. Diseases simulating acute appendicitis(a) Torsion