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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests

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• Related Issues
• Specifics

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Research

• Clinical Trials
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Summary

Your peritoneum is the tissue that lines your abdominal wall and covers most of the organs in your abdomen. A liquid, peritoneal fluid, lubricates the surface of this tissue.

Disorders of the peritoneum are not common. They include:

• Peritonitis - an inflammation of the peritoneum
• Cancer
• Complications from peritoneal dialysis

Your doctor may use imaging tests or lab tests to analyze the peritoneal fluid to diagnose the problem. Treatment of peritoneal disorders depends on the cause.

Start Here

• Peritonitis (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Abdominal exploration - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Abdominal Ultrasound (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Ascites: A Common Problem in People with Cirrhosis (American College of Gastroenterology)
• Familial Mediterranean Fever (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Peritoneal Ports (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Peritoneal Multicystic Mesothelioma (Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center)
• Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome (Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Peritoneal Diseases (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Peritonitis (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Pelvic peritoneal endometriosis is linked to the endometrial inflammatory profile: a...
• Article: Review of Imaging Peritoneal Disease and Treatment.
• Article: Increased antinuclear (anti-Sm) antibodies in infertile patients with peritoneal endometriosis.
• Peritoneal Disorders -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Patient Handouts

• Peritonitis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Peritonitis - secondary (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Peritonitis - spontaneous bacterial (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Retroperitoneal inflammation (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish