Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Chronic pancreatitis physical examination
Introduction
Overview
Overview
Patients with chronic pancreatitis may assume a characteristic position in an attempt to relieve their abdominal pain such as lying on the left side, flexing the spine, drawing the knees up toward the chest. Patients with steatorrhea or advanced disease may present as loss of subcutaneous fat, temporal wasting and sunken supraclavicular fossa. Skin findings may include  jaundice, pallor and bruises.
Physical Examination
Physical Examination
Appearance of the Patient
- Patients with acute on chronic pancreatitis may assume a characteristic position in an attempt to relieve their abdominal pain:
- Lying on the left side
- Flexing the spine
- Drawing the knees up toward the chest
- Patients with steatorrhea or advanced disease may present as
- Loss of subcutaneous fat
- Temporal wasting
- Sunken supraclavicular fossa
- Other physical signs of malnutrition
Skin
Abdomen
- A palpable abdominal mass in the epigastrium
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Iqra Qamar M.D.[2]