Right upper quadrant abdominal pain

Background

• This page outlines the general approach to RUQ pain

Differential Diagnosis

RUQ Pain

• Gallbladder disease
  • Symptomatic cholelithiasis (biliary colic)
  • Choledocholithiasis
  • Acute cholecystitis
  • Ascending cholangitis
  • Acalculous cholecystitis
• Pancreatitis
• Acute hepatitis
• Pancreatitis
• GERD
• Appendicitis (retrocecal)
• Pyogenic liver abscess
• Bowel obstruction
• Cirrhosis
• Budd-Chiari syndrome
• GU
  • Pyelonephritis
  • Kidney stone
  • Fitz-Hugh-Curtis Syndrome
• Other
  • Hepatomegaly due to CHF
  • Peptic ulcer disease with or without perforation
  • Pneumonia
  • Herpes zoster
  • Myocardial ischemia
  • Pulmonary embolism
  • Abdominal aortic aneurysm

Workup

• CBC
• Chem
• LFTs
• Lipase
• Coags
• UA/UCx
• Urine pregnancy (females)
• RUQ US
• ?CXR
  • Consider if at risk for perforated ulcer
• ?ECG
  • If may be cardiac in nature

See Also

• Abdominal Pain
• Abdominal Pain (Peds)