Constipation: Examination

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

  • General physical examination – including blood pressure, pulse, body weight, height; further:
    • Inspection (viewing).
      • Skin and mucous membranes
      • Abdomen (abdomen)
        • Shape of the abdomen?
        • Skin color? Skin texture?
        • Efflorescences (skin changes)?
        • Pulsations? Bowel movements?
        • Visible vessels?
        • Scars? Hernias (fractures)?
    • Inspection and palpation (palpation) of the neck [due topossible cause or differential diagnosis: hypothyroidism (hypothyroidism)].
    • Examination of the abdomen
      • Percussion (tapping) of the abdomen
        • Meteorism (flatulence): hypersonoric tapping sound.
        • Attenuation of tapping sound due to enlarged liver or spleen, tumor, urinary retention?
      • Palpation of the abdomen, etc. (tenderness?, knocking pain?, coughing pain?, defensive tension?, hernial orifices?, renal bearing knocking pain?).
    • Inspection of the anus incl. digital rectal examination (DRU): examination of the rectum (rectum) [due topossible causes:
      • Anal fissure (tears in the mucosa of the anus (anus)).
      • Anal stricture (narrowing of the anus)
      • Hemorrhoids
      • Rectocele (outpouching of the intestine)
      • Rectal prolapse (prolapse of the rectum)]
  • Cancer screening [due topossible causes or differential diagnoses:
    • Colon carcinoma (colon cancer)]
  • If necessary, gynecological examination [due todifferential diagnosis:
  • If necessary, neurological examination [due topossible causes or differential diagnoses:
    • Dementia
    • Parkinson’s disease
    • Multiple sclerosis (MS) (neurological disease that can cause paralysis and spasticity)]
  • If necessary, psychiatric examination [due topossible causes:
    • Anxiety
    • Depression]

    [due todifferential diagnoses:

    • See under causes and moreover: eating disorders]
  • Health check

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