Nontraumatic Abdominal Emergencies in Pregnant Patients

Abdominal pain is a common complaint in pregnancy and can result from normal physiological changes or may occur due to various pathologies. Imaging is frequently performed to distinguish between different causes of abdominal pain, thereby identifying potential surgical causes and directing effective patient care. Ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging without intravenous contrast are the most commonly used techniques in the pregnant population, as they do not expose the patient to ionizing radiation. In this chapter, we review the common pathological causes of abdominal pain in pregnancy, which may be grouped into gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, genitourinary, and obstetric pathologies. We will discuss the common imaging findings of each pathology using representative case examples.