MCC VaultPractice questions › Surgery › The acute abdomen
The acute abdomen
A practice question in the style of the MCCQE MCQ exam. Choose your answer to see the explanation.
A 55-year-old with a peptic ulcer history has sudden severe epigastric pain and a rigid abdomen. What is the best first imaging?
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The answer is D: Upright chest X-ray.
Free air under the diaphragm suggests perforation. CT is more sensitive if the X-ray is normal.
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This question comes from Week 9 of MCC Vault: Surgery, urology and perioperative care. That week has 124 more exam-style questions like it, 5 short lessons and 150 flashcards. The course starts free with Week 1 and reaches this topic in week 9, as part of a five-month plan with full mock exams along the way.
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