According to Emedtv.com, a colonoscopy is a test that enables the direct visualization of the lining of the colon and rectum. A flexible lighted fiberoptic tube is usually inserted into the colon. A colonoscopy is used to help diagnose...
If your bladder is not emptying completely, you're urinating frequently and you're suffering from recurring urinary tract infections and chronic low-grade back pain, your doctor may wish to have you tested for signs of reflux uropathy. This...
The aorta is the largest blood vessel in the body. It is the conduit for blood from the heart to other organs. It traverses the majority of the thorax and enters the abdomen before dividing into its terminal branches, which supply the lower limbs...
Indigestion, also called dyspepsia, is characterized by burning pain or discomfort in the upper to middle part of your stomach. It can occur while eating or shortly after consuming a meal. The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse...
According to the text "Clinical Methods," flank pain is a "sensation of discomfort, distress, or agony in the part of the body below the rib and above the ilium." In short, pain on the sides or small of the back is flank pain. Patients who...
Abdominal fistulas are abnormal openings that allow the contents of the stomach or bowels to leak. Leakage into other organs is called an entero-enteral fistula. If the contents leak through to the skin, it is known as an enterocutaneous...
Indigestion, also referred to as dyspepsia, is not a medical condition, but rather the name for a combination of symptoms that many people experience after eating. Indigestion most commonly includes burning and pain in the upper abdomen, premature...
The liver is a large organ in the upper-right portion of the abdomen that is responsible for making clotting proteins and cleansing toxins from the blood, in addition to other functions. Sometimes the surface of the liver develops small...
There are several causes of a magnesium deficiency. The hormonal cause for the electrolyte imbalance, hyperaldosteronism, involves your adrenal glands. Low magnesium, or hypomagnesemia, becomes dangerous without intervention. Therefore, if you...
Hidden behind the stomach but playing a crucial role in the digestive process as well as hormonal production is a large gland called the pancreas. Besides secreting digestive enzymes into the small intestine that aid in the digestion of fats,...
A burst appendix can occur when the organ becomes inflamed and eventually ruptures. Doctors are unsure exactly what causes the appendix to burst. However, the theory is that an obstruction in the appendix occurs. The blockage may be from stool....
Acute renal failure, also called acute kidney failure, is a sudden loss of kidney function that results in an inability of the kidneys to filter wastes without losing electrolytes. This is a very serious condition that can lead to the need for...
Diverticula are small pouches that can form anywhere in the digestive system but most commonly affect the large intestine, according to MayoClinic.com. Diverticula are common in adults over the age of 40, and the presence of these bulges in the...
The kidneys are a pair of vital organs located near the middle of the back, just below the rib cage. They primarily filter waste from the blood and maintain salt and water balances in the body. Medullary cystic kidney disease is a type of kidney...
Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas, an organ that secretes digestive enzymes through the pancreatic duct. Digestive enzymes mix with bile from the gallbladder to digest food. Acute pancreatitis is most often caused by gallstones that...
If you experience stomach cramps after eating, you might have an inflammation of your pancreas, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. This illness, called pancreatitis, can lead to serious and even fatal consequences if...
Stomach pain is a common symptom that can be due to a variety of causes. Sometimes stomach pain can be triggered by eating certain foods. This typically is the result of some sort of problem with the digestive system. In some cases, people cannot...
Dyspepsia is not a disease, but rather a name for a combination of symptoms that contribute to a general feeling of pain in the abdomen. The pain is usually felt in the upper middle section of the stomach and may fluctuate, but is present more...
Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas, an organ responsible for the production of several digestive enzymes and the hormone insulin. The pancreas is located behind the stomach and at the beginning of the small intestine, helping to digest...
The aorta is the largest artery in the human body and carries oxygenated blood from the heart to other tissues and organs. The portion of the aorta that runs into the abdomen is called the abdominal aorta. The abdominal aorta can become weak,...
Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is a genetic disease that causes the kidneys to develop multiple large cysts. These cysts ultimately replace the normal kidney tissue, causing the kidneys to malfunction. Depending on the form of polycystic kidney...
Educate yourself about the symptoms of diverticulitis, a disorder in which small pouches in your digestive tract become inflamed and possibly infected. Unfortunately, you may not know that you have diverticulitis until the inflammation is quite...
Diverticula, finger-like protrusions in weak areas of the intestinal wall, can occur anywhere along the digestive tract, but most commonly are found in the large intestine. Sometimes, diverticula become inflamed, a disease called diverticulitis,...
Your bowels and other abdominal organs have slick, membranous surfaces that prevent them from sticking together when they make contact under normal circumstances. Adhesions may occur when tissues make contact and band together, most often after...
The liver carries out many essential functions, including clearing toxins from the body, manufacturing bile and certain proteins, storing certain minerals and vitamins, and breaking down red blood cells. Damage to the liver has a wide impact on...
Gallstones are hardened accumulations of chemicals in the gallbladder. They form through a process called cholelithiasis, and generally range from a few millimeters to a few centimeters in diameter, notes the University of Maryland Medical Center,...
Signs and symptoms of cirrhosis vary between the different stages and may be undetected until after the initial stage. Biological factors may play a part in inheriting cirrhosis, but that is rare. Behavioral factors play the biggest role. Knowing...
The liver is the largest organ in the abdominal cavity. Located predominantly in the upper right quadrant, of the abdomen, the liver performs over 400 different processes that sustain a healthy body. When exposed to disease, the liver can enlarge,...
Small pouches that develop on the intestines, called diverticula, can become infected, a condition known as diverticulitis. Around 50 percent of people over age 60 have diverticula, which most commonly affect the large intestine, the National...
Gallstones are solid deposits of cholesterol or calcium salts that form in your gallbladder or nearby bile ducts. Complications from gallstones can be serious, and even fatal, if left untreated. Learn about the different causes, symptoms, and...
