Introduction:

Ultrasound is a safe and effective imaging test that has helped physicians for more than half a century in the diagnosis of diseases and has become the stethoscope of the 21st century. Acute abdominal pain is a common cause in urgency departments and emergency rooms worldwide.

Objective:

To present the usefulness of ultrasound in the assessment of acute abdominal pain, performed in the department of radiology, emergency and by general surgeons.

Method:

A literature review of the subject was carried out in the databases PubMed, BVS-BIREME and Cochrane. All types of studies published from January 1958 to June 2018, which were accessed, were considered in the search. The languages ​​used in the search were Spanish and English.

Results:

Generally speaking, the computed tomography is the imaging study of greater sensitivity and specificity in the assessment of acute abdominal pain, objectively surpassing ultrasonography. However, the use of ultrasound by non-radiological physicians, as a complement to the physical examination, gains more space each day, especially after the emergence of point-of-care ultrasonography.

Conclusions:

Ultrasonography performed by radiologists is a useful tool in the assessment of acute abdominal pain. The general surgeon can accurately diagnose gallstones, but the diagnosis of cholecystitis and appendicitis is more challenging. More studies are needed to support the use of ultrasound by general surgeons in the assessment of acute abdominal pain.

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