Significance of routine digital rectal examination in adults presenting with abdominal pain

Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England
N Manimaran, R B Galland

Abstract

Routine digital rectal examination (DRE) in children with abdominal pain has slowly gone out of practice but is still performed routinely in adults. This study was undertaken to assess the significance of routine DRE in adults with acute abdominal pain. A total of 100 consecutive adults admitted to the emergency surgical unit with acute abdominal pain were studied prospectively. Following DRE, patients who were willing to participate in the study were requested to complete an anonymous questionnaire. The house officer conducted the rectal examination at admission and also completed an evaluation sheet. A working diagnosis of acute appendicitis in 38 patients and gastroduodenal, pancreatobiliary pathology in 24 patients was made. DRE did not alter clinical diagnosis or initial management in any of the 100 patients. Routine DRE did not detect any unrelated pathology. Of the patients, 93 wanted to know why rectal examination was required. Overall, 78 patients rated the DRE as uncomfortable. Although 43 were willing for DRE as a routine, 54 patients preferred to have the DRE at the time of other bowel tests rather than at the time of the emergency admission. Various routine medical procedures have given way to evidence-based practi...Continue Reading

Citations

Aug 14, 2012·The Journal of Emergency Medicine·Chad Kessler, Stephen J Bauer
Nov 26, 2009·The American Journal of Emergency Medicine·Joshua QuaasChilembwe Mason
Mar 25, 2008·The American Journal of Emergency Medicine·Magdali SedlakAristomenis K Exadaktylos
Feb 14, 2006·The Medical Clinics of North America·Mark H Flasar, Eric Goldberg
Nov 10, 2009·Colorectal Disease : the Official Journal of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland·J M-C YeungS Amin
May 3, 2016·Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America·Sreeja NatesanTraci Thoureen
Aug 4, 2012·The American Journal of Gastroenterology·Reuben K WongShrikant Bangdiwala
May 31, 2018·The New England Journal of Medicine·Taufiek K RajabHaiyang Zhou
Jul 22, 2018·Emergency Medicine Journal : EMJ·Mansoor Khan
Jul 22, 2018·Emergency Medicine Journal : EMJ·Osama Aa Elhardello, John MacFie
Feb 13, 2018·British Journal of Hospital Medicine·Mohammad A HeetunMichael Stanton

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