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UMHS Home/Logo Consult Request Guidelines

for Abdominal Pain

   
Abdominal Pain
Suggested Pre-Referral Evaluation and Management Guidelines

Red Flags: involuntary weight loss, bloody diarrhea, fevers, joint pains, persistent vomiting, hematemesis, elevated sedimentation rate or c-reactive protein, anemia, family history of inflammatory bowel disease, pain waking the child at night, pain farther away from the umbilicus, or presence of more than one symptom

Most common causes of abdominal pain:

  1. Constipation (periumbilical abdominal pain or left lower quadrant) - treat with Miralax at a dose to have soft, pudding-consistency stools; can do an abdominal x-ray to assess for the presence of fecal loading
  2. Gastroesophageal Reflux/Dyspepsia/Nausea (epigastric abdominal pain) - treat with a proton-pump inhibitor 20-30 minutes prior to breakfast
Suggested Additional Test/Management Prior to Specialty Visit Blood work: CBC with differential and platelets, comprehensive metabolic panel, sedimentation rate, c-reactive protein

No radiographic imaging is necessary prior to appointment, unless clinically indicated.
Patient Education/Information (includes preps)  
Appointment Timeframe 3 months, sooner for Nurse Practitioners (typically 1-2 months)
How to Get Results to Consultant UMHS Patients: See MiChart
External Patients: Fax records to 734-763-7359 prior to appointment.

A referral from the primary care physician is required prior to the appointment. Consult for a second opinion requires approval by a staff Pediatric Gastroenterologist. The covering staff physician may be reached by M-line.

It is helpful for us to have records of any prior laboratory studies, x-rays, prior endoscopy reports, other test results, or hospitalizations. Having the child's growth record (obtained from their primary care clinician) is very helpful.
Clinic Contact Information Physicians: 734-763-9650 or M-Line 734-936-3856
Patients: 734-763-9650
Clinic Location Sites C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital
UM Consulting Physician Pediatric Gastroenterology Faculty
Revised on: 10/17/2012