Amoebic Dysentery: Examination

A comprehensive clinical examination is the basis for selecting further diagnostic steps:

• General physical examination – including blood pressure, pulse, body temperature, body weight, body height; furthermore:
  • Inspection (viewing):
    • Skin, mucous membranes and sclerae
    • Abdomen
      • Shape of the abdomen?
      • Skin color? Skin texture?
      • Efflorescences (skin changes)?
      • Pulsations? Bowel movements?
      • Visible vessels?
      • Scars? Hernias (fractures)?
  • Auscultation (listening) of the heart.
  • Auscultation of the lungs
  • Examination of the abdomen
  • • Percussion (tapping) of the abdomen [attenuation of tapping sound due to enlarged liver, tumor].
    • Palpation (palpation) of the abdomen (tenderness?, knocking pain?, coughing pain?, defensive tension?, hernial orifices?, renal bearing knocking pain?) [especially the right upper abdomen due topossible amoebic liver abscess].
  • Digital rectal examination (DRU): examination of the rectum (rectum) [bloody-mucous stool; complications: toxic megacolon (massive dilatation (expansion) or enlargement of the colon in the context of inflammation); colonic perforation with peritonitis (rupture of the colon wall (intestinal perforation) with peritonitis)]

Square brackets [ ] indicate possible pathologic (pathological) physical findings.