Summary
Differentials
Common
- Constipation
- Acute appendicitis
- Gastroenteritis
- Urinary tract infection
- Abdominal trauma (blunt or penetrating)
- Cholelithiasis/cholecystitis
- Primary dysmenorrhea
- Pneumonia
- Functional abdominal pain
- Infantile colic
Uncommon
- Intussusception
- Meckel diverticulum
- Mesenteric adenitis
- Hirschsprung disease
- Ulcerative colitis
- Crohn disease
- Small bowel obstruction
- Volvulus
- Large bowel obstruction
- Necrotizing enterocolitis
- Peptic ulcer disease
- Celiac disease
- Viral hepatitis
- Biliary dyskinesia
- Acute pancreatitis
- Splenic infarction/cysts
- Nephrolithiasis
- Sepsis
- Testicular torsion
- Ovarian torsion
- Ruptured ovarian cyst
- Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
- Pregnancy complications
- Empyema
Contributors
Authors
Charles L. Snyder, MD
Professor of Surgery
University of Missouri
Kansas City Children's Mercy Hospital
Kansas City
MO
Disclosures
CLS declares that he has no competing interests.
Jeong Hyun, MD
Assistant Professor of Surgery
Stanford University
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital
Stanford
CA
Disclosures
JH has several research grants for translational work with Crohn disease for Stanford University.
Acknowledgements
Professor Charles L. Snyder and Dr Jeong Hyun would like to gratefully acknowledge Dr KuoJen Tsao, Dr Kathryn Tinsley Anderson, Dr Luke R. Putnam, Dr Shinil K. Shah, Dr Nathan D. Allison, and Dr Peter A. Walker, previous contributors to this topic.
Disclosures
KT, KTA, LRP, SKS, NDA, and PAW declare that they have no competing interests.
Peer reviewers
Ann O. Scheimann, MD, MBA
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Baltimore
MD
Disclosures
AOS declares that she has no competing interests.
Karla Au. Yeung, MD
Assistant Professor
Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition
The Johns Hopkins Hospital
Baltimore
MD
Disclosures
KAY declares that she has no competing interests.
Raymond G. Buick, MB BCh, BAO, FRCS (Edin), FRCS (Eng)
Consultant Paediatric Surgeon
Department of Paediatric Surgery
Birmingham Children's Hospital
Birmingham
UK
Disclosures
RGB declares that he has no competing interests.
Patient information
Colic in babies
Constipation in children
More Patient informationVideos
Peripheral intravascular catheter: animated demonstration
Venepuncture and phlebotomy: animated demonstration
More videosLog in or subscribe to access all of BMJ Best Practice
Use of this content is subject to our disclaimer