Presentations

Within general surgery, there are a wide range of clinical presentations that patients can present with, and the underlying pathologies are even wider.

The most common of these is acute abdominal pain, often termed the “acute abdomen” and is essential to know how to approach this presentation and potential investigations required. Various abdominal incisions may be present as well for several patients you see, therefore knowing what the various scars mean is useful to know.

Bowel obstruction and bowel perforation are serious disease presentations and should be investigated and managed promptly. 

Haematemesis, melena, and haematochezia can also suggest slightly different pathologies present, yet all can lead to potential surgical intervention being required if severe or untreated, therefore are essential presentations to learn how to approach.