ETIOLOGICAL SPECTRUM OF ACUTE ABDOMEN AMONG PATIENTS PRESENTING TO SURGICAL EMERGENCY IN TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL, LAHORE

Objective: To assess the pattern of most common surgical pathologies in acute abdomen in adult population between ages 18 to 80 years. Study Design: Cross sectional nonconsecutive nonrandom observational study analytical study conducted over a period of One year from 1st January 2024 till 31st December 2024.  Place and Duration: Patients landing in the emergency room of Chaudhry Akram Teaching Hospital with acute abdomen which were dealt with by the surgical emergency were included in the study and detailed record taken. Study was conducted over a One year from 1st January 2024 till 31st December 2024. Result: A total of 194(n) patients were included in the study with female dominance by a small factor. In descending order of occurrence, the provisional diagnoses were acute appendicitis, acute cholecystitis, acute pancreatitis, duodenal, typhoid and tuberculous visceral perforation, small bowel obstruction, large bowel obstruction, mesenteric ischemia and pelvic abscess. Gender and age were not significantly linked with the presentation of the above-mentioned diagnoses. Conclusion: Acute appendicitis has been found to be the most common cause of acute abdomen presenting in emergency of Chaudhary Muhammad Akram Teaching and Research Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan irrespective age and gender, followed by acute cholecystitis and pancreatitis. This was followed by infectious perforations of small gut, and then mechanical obstructions of small and large gut. Mesenteric ischemia and pelvic abscesses were among the least common presenting diagnoses in the emergency room. There was no significant gender association found between the most common causes of acute abdomen and any specific gender.