Word parts
What it means
A break through the full thickness of a wall, such as in the stomach, bowel, esophagusih-SOF-uh-gusThe muscular tube that carries food and liquid from the throat to the stomach.esophag/o esophagusFull entry or eardrum. In the gut, it lets bowel contents leak into the belly and cause peritonitispair-ih-tuh-NY-tisInflammation of the peritoneum, the thin membrane that lines the inside of the belly and covers the organs there.peritone/o peritoneum-itis inflammationFull entry . Causes include ulcers, diverticulitisdy-ver-tik-yuh-LY-tisInflammation or infection of one or more small pouches that bulge out from the wall of the colon.diverticul/o a small pouch-itis inflammationFull entry , a burst appendix, injury, and tools used in procedures such as an endoscopy.
For the nurse
Sudden severe belly pain with a hard, board-like abdomen, fever and a rising pulse after a GI procedure or in a client with an ulcer must be reported at once. Keep the client NPO until seen.
In a chart
"CT shows free air under the diaphragm, suspicious for a bowel perforation."
At a glance
| Spanish | perforación |
|---|---|
| Also written | perforations, perforated |
Related terms
ulcer
An open sore where the skin or the lining of an organ has broken down.
diverticulitis
Inflammation or infection of one or more small pouches that bulge out from the wall of the colon.
tympanic membrane
The thin, cone-shaped sheet of tissue between the outer ear canal and the middle ear; the eardrum.
peritonitis
Inflammation of the peritoneum, the thin membrane that lines the inside of the belly and covers the organs there.