Abdominal pain is one of the most common medical symptoms encountered by doctors and can reflect a multitude of conditions ranging from benign disorders to very serious diseases. One should seek medical care if their abdominal pain becomes recurrent, severe, refractory to standard medical therapy or accompanied by alarming symptoms such as bleeding, weight loss or fevers. Any organ system that makes up the trunk can cause abdominal pain including the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, vessels, connective tissue and muscle. Some common conditions that cause pain include Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), Pancreatitis, Hepatitis, Cholecystitis, Gallstones, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) such as Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, Cancer, and Diverticular Disease. Please refer to the Disorders Section for more information on these disorders.

A detailed history and physical examination is the foundation for determining the cause of one’s pain. With this information Dr. Mantas can then utilize advanced testing including endoscopy, colonoscopy, radiography and blood tests to the find the source of one’s pain.

Treatment options ultimately depend on the source of your abdominal pain and should focus on healing that affected organ. In some cases the exact source of pain is not identified and the focus is then on relieving symptoms with analgesics, pain modifiers and anti-spasmotics.