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The region named the right hypochondrium exists anatomically, but is almost totally under the chest wall. In clinical situations, the parts of the abdominal wall just below the right and left costal margins are referred to as the right and left hypochondriac regions respectively.
Depending on the need to test for specific diseases such as ascites, special tests may be performed as a part of the physical examination. [2] An abdominal examination may be performed because the physician suspects a disease of the organs inside the abdominal cavity (including the liver, spleen, large or small intestines), or simply as a part ...
The human abdomen is divided into quadrants and regions by anatomists and physicians for the purposes of study, diagnosis, and treatment. [1] [2] The division into four quadrants allows the localisation of pain and tenderness, scars, lumps, and other items of interest, narrowing in on which organs and tissues may be involved.
Murphy's sign has a high sensitivity and negative predictive value, although the specificity is not high. [2] However, in the elderly the sensitivity is markedly lower; a negative Murphy's sign in an elderly person is not useful for ruling out cholecystitis if other tests and the clinical history suggest the diagnosis.
Among the regions of the abdomen, the hypochondrium is the uppermost part. The word derives from the Greek term ὑποχόνδριος hypokhondrios, meaning "of the soft parts between the ribs and navel" from ὑπό hypo ("under") and χόνδρος khondros, or cartilage (of the sternum).
It is the region that surrounds the area around the umbilicus and is placed approximately halfway between the xiphoid process and the pubic symphysis. This region of the abdomen contains part of the stomach , the head of the pancreas , the duodenum , a section of the transverse colon and the lower aspects of the left and right kidney .
The epigastric region is the upper central square and contains the bottom edge of the liver as well as the upper areas of the stomach. The diaphragm curves like an upside down U over these three regions. The central right region is called the right lumbar region and contains the ascending colon and the right edge of the small intestines.
In medicine, shifting dullness refers to a sign elicited on physical examination for ascites (fluid in the peritoneal cavity). [1]The two steps of shifting dullness. Percussion of the green section shifts from a dull note to a tympanic note after the patient changes from supine to lateral decubitu