Nicht-invasive Diagnostik bei chronischen Unterbauchschmerzen

Chronic pain of the lower abdomen is a common symptom, which involves gynecologists, but also general practitioners, specialists for internal medicine, surgeons and sometimes also orthopaedists . The first step in the diagnostics, the target-orientated anamnesis, requires the knowledge of differential diagnoses and their specific symptoms . The most common causes for chronic pain of the lower abdomen are endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory diseases, adhesions, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, but also psychiatric diseases like depression and anxiety disorders . The following article is primarily limited to non-invasive gynecological diagnostics without disregarding other causes . Despite the mentioned anamnesis and the basic gynecological examination with speculum examination and bi-manual palpation the most important step is transvaginal ultrasonography, especially the dynamic ultrasonography . With these methods much more expensive and sometimes unspecific radiological diagnostic procedures can be prevented and invasive diagnostics via laparoscopy can be initiated more target-orientated or even be averted.