Point-of-care US for Acute Abdomen

This book focuses on surgical decision-making, a key topic for both surgeons and emergency physicians who are faced with patients with acute abdominal pain.

Providing easy-to-understand technical details and discussing the interpretation of normal and pathological images, it is a valuable resource for surgeons and emergency physicians who are not used to applying clinical US in this field, enabling them to shorten the diagnostic path and avoid unnecessary costs and exposure to radiation. It is also a practical reference guide for surgeons and doctors wanting to apply US as a decision-making tool in the context of acute abdominal pain.

Foreword.- Preface.- 1. Why a surgeon should become proficient in visceral point-of-care ultrasound?.- 2. US anatomy of hollow viscus.- 3. Landmarks and scanning technique.- 4. Bowel obstruction: the clinical questions can be answered by US.- 5. Acute diverticulitis: US diagnosis and staging.- 6. Acute appendicitis and US: a never ending story?.- 7. Bowel ischemia: when US makes difference.- 8. Bowel perforation: free air and free fluid.- 9. The thickened loops: IBD and surroundings.- 10. CEUS in visceral emergencies.- 11. Fast and E-Fast protocols in acute abdomen: something heretical?.- 12. Cost-effectiveness of clinical US in acute abdomen.- 13. Test Yourself Answers.

Mauro Zago concluded his residencies in General and Vascular Surgery at the University of Milan, and is currently Head of the General and Emergency Surgery Unit, Department of General Surgery, at the Alessandro Manzoni Hospital, Lecco, Italy. 

He served as Board member in ESTES – European Society for Trauma and Emergency Surgery (as Chair of the Educational Committee and of the Advisory Council), SICUT – Italian Society for Trauma and Emergency Surgery (as President), and SIC - Italian Society of Surgery (as Chair of the Educational Committee). 

He is adjunct professor at the post-graduate School of Surgery of the University of Milan.

His experience on clinical and point-of-care US in surgery is long lasting, and has turned in a training activity for over 20 years.  He was creator and promoter of MUSEC^®, a blended US modular course tailored for acute care surgeons.

Marina Troian is a generalsurgeon currently working in the Cardiothoracic and Vascular Department of Trieste University Hospital. Her fields of interest include emergency and trauma surgery, thoracic surgery, and application of ultrasound imaging in critically ill and surgical patients.

Diego Mariani had his residency in General Surgery at the State University of Milan, working in a leading Emergency Surgery Department. From the beginning of his career, he explored the application of "point of care US"  in this field. He contributed to the formation of the Trauma Team at IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, but his curiosity also led him to try his hand at pre-hospital emergency, working on the 118-112 Team at IRCCS San Matteo (Pavia). He is now responsible for surgical emergencies at Legnano Hospital - Italy, also doing minimally invasive abdominal surgery. He is the current Chair of the Educational Committee of ESTES, the European Society of Emergency Surgery andTrauma.