What is pneumoperitoneum?
pneumoperitoneum is the presence of air in the abdominal cavity. There are a number of reasons to develop air inside the abdominal cavity and it is important to determine why air is present when pneumoperitoneum is identified in a medical imaging study. It may be a sign of medical emergency, which requires rapid surgical intervention to avoid future complications and other health problems. It can also be a normal circumstance that does not require aggressive treatment. A relatively small amount of air may be present in the abdomen. Medical imaging studies such as CT scan are used to visualize the abdomen and modern imaging equipment, and can identify very small pockets of air. The shape, size and location of the air pocket can provide important diagnostic tracks.
The serious potential cause of the Air in the abdominal cavity is the perforation of the intestine or other organ that may occur when a ulcer or abscess breaks. Infections by bacteria that create gas as a by -product, moou also cause pneumoperitoneum. Sometimes air or gas enters through a female reproductive tract or as a result of constipation. It can also be iatrogenic, which means it is caused by surgery or other activity.
In fact, during laparoscopy, the procedure where the tools are inserted into the abdomen through small cuts to perform surgery, intentionally introduce air. The abdomen is inflated with gas to make the surgical field clearer and easier to see. The gas is excluded after surgery, but is usually not completely removed and the patient may have a pneumoperitoneum several weeks after surgery until the gas deposits are distracted by the body.
When a patient has a pneumoperitoneum, the first step in treatment is to find out why to create a suitable therapeutic approach. This may require further diagnostic testing along with an interview for the patient. In some cases, conservative treatment isThe most sensible procedure, with a doctor, expects and will see if the patient's body is able to eliminate the gas separately. If pneumoperitoneum is a complication of infection or rupture, surgery is required to remedy the problem, preferably as quickly as possible. Performations and infections can quickly lead to life -threatening medical emergency events.