Question

A 50-year-old woman presents to the emergency room for nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and abdominal pain. She has a history of Crohn disease, on infliximab, but she reports that this did not feel like a flare of her disease. On physical exam, there is tenderness to palpation of her abdomen without any peritoneal signs. An abdominal radiograph shows dilated loops of small bowel. She is started on intravenous fluids, given anti-emetics, and put on bowel rest. What is the diagnosis?

Answer 1

The diagnosis for the patient is bowel obstruction. Bowel obstruction occurs when there is a blockage in the intestines, resulting in symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting.

Step-by-step explanation:

The diagnosis for the 50-year-old woman in the emergency room with symptoms of nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and abdominal pain is bowel obstruction. This is indicated by the tenderness to palpation of her abdomen and the presence of dilated loops of small bowel on the abdominal radiograph. Bowel obstruction occurs when there is a blockage in the intestines, which can be caused by various factors such as adhesions, hernias, or tumors.