LG, Age 58 Years, Has a Chief Complaint of Diffuse

question 15

Multiple Choice

LG, age 58 years, has a chief complaint of diffuse, crampy abdominal pain, which has progressed to a severity scale of 7 of 10. He is afebrile and denies nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Family history is positive for intestinal polyps, diabetes mellitus, and Alzheimer disease. His past medical history is positive for kidney stones, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and hypercholesterolemia. The physical examination is positive for guarding and tenderness in the epigastric region but is otherwise normal. In an effort to confirm your hypothesis, you should schedule a(n) :

• A) electrocardiogram, because you think he has referred cardiac pain.
• B) colonoscopy, because you think he has diverticulitis.
• C) flat and erect abdominal x-ray study, because you think he has a perforated peptic ulcer.
• D) glucose tolerance test, because you think he has diabetes-related gastroparesis.

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Definitions:

Sagittal

Pertaining to or in a plane that divides the body into right and left parts, generally used in anatomical descriptions.

Horizontal

Parallel to the ground or to the bottom edge of a page, creating a left and right orientation.

Hemorrhagic Stroke

A stroke resulting from bleeding from a blood vessel.

Ruptured Blood Vessel

A condition where the wall of a blood vessel breaks open, leading to bleeding within the body.