Abdomen Examination includes examining the private parts too

Many of us think that examination of the abdomen means, the doctor or the surgeon, touching, feeling, and examining the upper and lower stomach part. But the fact is a full abdomen examination would not only include examining the upper and lower stomach or abdomen, but also the backside, penis, and scrotum in males, vagina in females, and the anus or the bottom part too for both.

Abdomen Examination in both Men and Women

The doctor or surgeon using their hands to check the body by touching softly or deeply is called palpation. During palpation, the doctor looks for the response of the patient’s abdominal muscles and also looks into the face of the patient for signs of discomfort. The doctor might start with light palpation and then perform deeper palpation.

By palpation of the lower and upper abdomen (the front stomach part), a well-experienced surgeon can find out conditions like appendicitis, peritonitis, enlargement of the liver, spleen, gallbladder, kidneys, pelvic masses, etc. So while the doctor is performing palpation of the stomach part, he is examining the organs like liver, gallbladder, spleen, kidneys, too. Hernias like umbilical hernias are also found by examining the umbilical region.

Apart from palpation, techniques like observing the bowel sounds using a stethoscope are some of the methods used to detect any abnormalities. This type of examination helps in detecting paralytic ileus or peritonitis, Intestinal obstruction, etc.

Percussion is another examination technique along with palpation. In simple terms, percussion means to tap the body part and observe the sound produced.

Why examination of Private Parts is necessary as part of abdomen examination?

In men, the testis that is inside the scrotum is formed nearer to the kidneys during the development of the baby and it descends only a few days before the delivery. So any infection in the kidney can reflect in the scrotum or vice versa. An infection in the testis can also infect the prostate and can also infect the urinary bladder. Or the infection can also travel from the urinary bladder to the testis (vice versa). Hernia and Hydrocele are other conditions that can cause pain. Hence abdomen examination is incomplete without examination of the scrotum for men.

In women, vaginal examination is necessary to check the infections and other reasons outlined for men. Women are more prone to infection due to the anatomy of their private parts.

In both men and women, digital examination of the anal region is also necessary to rule out conditions like tumors in the rectum or anus. It is also helpful to ascertain the condition or stage of their hemorrhoids.

It is quite interesting to note that whenever an ultrasound of the abdomen is done, it is needed to cover the scrotum or vaginal region also. Feeling shy while examining the private parts serves no purpose. It gives an opportunity to the surgeons or physicians to find out or diagnose the body holistically.