Nurs 341 - Abdominal Assessment

Front 1

__ layers of large, flat muscles form the ventral abdominal wall

Back 1

Four

Front 2

This muscle forms a strip extending the length of the midline of the abdomen, and its edge is often palpable.

Back 2

Rectus Abdominis

Front 3

What are the purposes of the abdominal muscles?

Back 3

Protect and hold the organs in place, and flex the vertebral column

Front 4

All the internal organs of the abdomen are called the __

Back 4

Viscera

Front 5

What are the solid viscera?

Back 5

Those abdominal organs that maintain a characteristic shape (liver, pancreas, spleen, adrenal glands, kidneys, ovaries, and uterus)

Front 6

What quadrant does the liver fill?

Back 6

Right upper quadrant (RUQ)

Front 7

What is the hollow viscera?

Back 7

Abdominal organs whose shape depends on their contents (stomach, gallbladder, small intestine, colon, bladder)

Front 8

Are the hollow viscera normally palpable?

Back 8

No, not unless the colon is distended with feces or the bladder is filled with urine

Front 9

True or false - the liver and the right kidney are not normally palpable.

Back 9

False - they normally may be palpable (not all the time)

Front 10

The stomach is just below what muscle?

Back 10

Diaphragm

Front 11

What abdominal organ is located in all four quadrants?

Back 11

Small intestine

Front 12

This is a small mass of lymphatic tissue on the posterolateral wall of the abdominal cavity, immediately under the diaphragm.

Back 12

Spleen

Front 13

This artery is just to the left of the midline of the upper part of the abdomen.

Back 13

Aorta

Front 14

Where does the Aorta bifurcate into the right and left common iliac arteries?

Back 14

2 cm below the umbilicus, opposite the fourth lumbar vertebra.

Front 15

True or false -- you cannot palpate the Aorta in the abdominal region.

Back 15

False - you can easily palpate aortic pulsations in the upper anterior abdominal wall.

Front 16

The iliac arteries become what arteries in the groin area?

Back 16

Femoral

Front 17

Where can the femoral arteries be palpated?

Back 17

Halfway between the anterior superior iliac spine and the sympthysis pubic

Front 18

This is a soft, lobulated gland located behind the stomach.

Back 18

Pancreas

Front 19

What quadrant is the pancreas located?

Back 19

Left upper quadrant

Front 20

These organs are retroperitoneal, or posterior to all the other abdominal contents.

Back 20

Kidneys

Front 21

The 12th rib forms an angle with the vertebral column, called the __ angle.

Back 21

Costovertebral

Front 22

Because of the placement of the __, the right kidney is 1 to 2 cm lower than the left and is sometimes palpable.

Back 22

Liver

Front 23

Where can the left kidney be found?

Back 23

Near costovertebral angle, at 11 - 12th rib

Front 24

This name is sometimes given to the region between the costal margins.

Back 24

Epigastric

Front 25

This name is sometimes used to describe the area above the pubic bone.

Back 25

Suprapubic or hypogastric

Front 26

What organs are normally found in the upper right quadrant?

Back 26

Liver, gallbladder, duodenum, head of pancreas, right kidney and adrenal, hepatic flexure of colon, part of ascending and transverse colon

Front 27

What organs are normally found in the upper left quadrant?

Back 27

Stomach, spleen, left lobe of liver, body of pancreas, left kidney and adrenal, splenic flexure of colon, part of transverse and descending colon

Front 28

What organs are normally found in the lower right quadrant?

Back 28

Cecum, appendix, right ovary and tube, right ureter, right spermatic cord

Front 29

What organs are normally found in the lower left quadrant?

Back 29

Part of descending colon, sigmoid colon, left ovary and tube, left ureter, left spermatic cord

Front 30

What parts of the abdomen are sometimes found in the midline?

Back 30

Aorta (normally), Uterus (if enlarged), bladder (if distended)

Front 31

What does the umbilical cord of a newborn contain?

Back 31

Two arteries and one vein

Front 32

This early sign of pregnancy may be due to hormone changes such as the production of chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).

Back 32

Morning sickness

Front 33

What is pyrosis?

Back 33

Heartburn or acid indigestion

Front 34

In a pregnant client, the uterus displaces the __ and pushes them (anteriorly, posteriorly)

Back 34

Intestines, posteriorly

Front 35

True or false - bowel sounds will be more prominent in a pregnant client.

Back 35

False - they will be diminished

Front 36

True or false - liver size decreases by 25% between the ages of 20 and 70.

Back 36

True

Front 37

What is a visceral abdominal pain?

Back 37

Stemming from an internal organ (dull, general, localized)

Front 38

What is a parietal abdominal pain?

Back 38

Stemming from inflammation of peritoneum (sharp, precisely localized, aggravated by movement)

Front 39

What is a referred abdominal pain?

Back 39

Stemming from a disorder in another site

Front 40

Gray stools are associated with __

Back 40

Hepatitis

Front 41

Red blood in stools indicate ___

Back 41

Blood from GI bleed or localized bleeding around anus

Front 42

What is pica?

Back 42

Desire to eat non-foods like grass, dirt, paint chips, clay

Front 43

This is a loss of appetite from GI disease, as a side effect of certain meds, with pregnancy, or with psychological disorders

Back 43

Anorexia

Front 44

What is a scaphoid abdomen?

Back 44

Contour is caved-in

Front 45

What are striae?

Back 45

Lineae albicantes ("stretch marks") - silvery white linear, jagged marks about 1 - 6 cm long; occur when elastic fibers in the reticular area of skin are broken after rapid or prolonged stretching, as in pregnancy or excessive weight gain; recent striae are pink or blue; they eventually turn silvery white