Review on Common Non-Obstetric Acute Abdominal Conditions in Pregnancy: An Update of Management

Abstract

Non-obstetric acute abdominal conditions account for admission to the surgical ward, and it involves management by the surgeon and gynecologists. The common conditions are acute appendicitis, acute cholecystitis and acute pancreatitis. Acute appendicitis in pregnancy requires prompt diagnosis and the management has moved towards laparoscopic appendectomy. Acute cholecystitis in pregnancy has seen a trend from conservative management to laparoscopic cholecystectomy being performed during pregnancy to prevent recurrence. Acute pancreatitis in pregnancy is usually managed conservatively with endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography being performed for gallstone pancreatitis. We have conducted this review article to investigate the current management of these conditions.