Abdominal distension: causes and characteristics
Abdominal distension: causes and characteristics Fetus: smooth, firm mass, dull to percussion, arising out of the pelvis Flatus: hyperresonant (there may be visible peristalsis if the accumulation of flatus is due to bowel obstruction) Faeces: palpable in the flanks and across the epigastrium, firm and may be indentable, there may be multiple separate masses in the line of the colon Fat Fluid (ascites) fluid thrill, shifting dullness Large abdominal masses: (massive hepatomegaly or splenomegaly, fibroids, polycystic kidneys, retroperitoneal sarcoma)