Abdominal pai n is one of the most
common presentations in patients attending
emergency departments (Bates and Plevris 2013).
There may be many causes of such pain and
clinicians need to be able to distinguish between
functional disorders, such as irritable bowel
syndrome, and medical emergencies, such as
appendicitis. Knowledge of the gastrointestinal
system and disorders is essential to aid accurate assessment and diagnosis to guide appropriate
treatment decisions.