GP Vivas · gastrointestinal-health
Abdominal pain assessment — structured viva
Structured oral on abdominal pain assessment: anatomical localisation, peritonism and red flags, mesenteric ischaemia as the diagnosis not to miss, diverticulitis per ACG guideline, the CT-ultrasound trade-off in young women with RIF pain, and structured POCUS.
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Study tools
Target exams
RACGP CCEFRACGP oralsMRCGP SCA
Prompt
The examiner opens: 'A 40-year-old with abdominal pain walks in. Take me through your assessment.' The viva branches through localisation, examination discipline, the diagnoses not to miss, imaging trade-offs, and special populations.
Stem
Abdominal pain is the presentation where examination skill still outranks investigation — the tests confirm what the hands and history already suspect. [4]
References4ShowHide
- [1]Forbes A, Bachmann KF, Kase K et al. Potential time-sensitive biomarkers for the detection of acute mesenteric ischaemia: a systematic review of animal data. Biomarkers : biochemical indicators of exposure, response, and susceptibility to chemicals, 2026.PMID 42322198
- [2]Peery AF, Strate LL, Stollman N et al. ACG Clinical Guideline: Colonic Diverticulitis. The American journal of gastroenterology, 2026.PMID 42390126
- [3]Pathak A, Jiang X, Jaworski JJ et al. CT Versus Ultrasound in Young Women With Right Iliac Fossa Pain: A Single-Centre Retrospective Study. ANZ journal of surgery, 2026.PMID 42438097
- [4]Di Gioia CC, Alame A, D'Apolito M et al. The ABCDEFG point-of-care ultrasound protocol for acute non-traumatic abdominal pain: a prospective observational study. Journal of ultrasound, 2026.PMID 42498899