Ultrasound for Abdomen and FAST: Evaluation and Diagnosis

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is frequently used in the emergency department (ED) to aid with the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases. In this chapter, we review the utility and accuracy of POCUS to evaluate both traumatic and non-traumatic abdominal pain; we supplement this review of the literature with technical instructions outlining how to perform the scans at the patient’s bedside. Finally, we provide ultrasound images to aid the reader in conceptualizing the performance of these scans and the normal and pathological variants of the anatomy described. This chapter gives an ED physicians’ perspective on the use of POCUS for the evaluation of common and possibly life-threatening causes of abdominal pain.