Foreword -- Preface -- 1. Why a surgeon should become proficient in visceral point-of-care ultrasound? -- 2. US anatomy of hollow viscus -- 3. Landmarks and scanning technique -- 4. Bowel obstruction: the clinical questions can be answered by US -- 5. Acute diverticulitis: US diagnosis and staging -- 6. Acute appendicitis and US: a never ending story? -- 7. Bowel ischemia: when US makes difference -- 8. Bowel perforation: free air and free fluid -- 9. The thickened loops: IBD and surroundings -- 10. CEUS in visceral emergencies -- 11. Fast and E-Fast protocols in acute abdomen: something heretical? -- 12. Cost-effectiveness of clinical US in acute abdomen -- 13. Test Yourself Answers.

This book focuses on surgical decision-making, a key topic for both surgeons and emergency physicians who are faced with patients with acute abdominal pain. Providing easy-to-understand technical details and discussing the interpretation of normal and pathological images, it is a valuable resource for surgeons and emergency physicians who are not used to applying clinical US in this field, enabling them to shorten the diagnostic path and avoid unnecessary costs and exposure to radiation. It is also a practical reference guide for surgeons and doctors wanting to apply US as a decision-making tool in the context of acute abdominal pain.