PERITONITIS

inflammation of the peritoneum, the membrane that lines the abdominal wall and then folds in to enclose the abdominal organs. The condition is marked by an accumulation of serum, fibrin, cells, and pus in the peritoneal cavity (between the two folds of the peritoneal membrane) and by abdominal pain and distension, vomiting, and fever. Peritonitis may be acute or chronic, generalized or localized. Acute peritonitis is usually secondary to an inflammatory process elsewhere in the body and may be caused by a variety of agents, such as a bacterial invasion from an infected body structure, or blood or other body fluids from a ruptured organ. A perforated gastrointestinal tract, notably a ruptured appendix, is a common primary cause of peritonitis. Control of the source of inflammation is followed either by remission of the peritoneal inflammation, by the formation of adhesions sealing the two sides of the peritoneal cavity, or by localized abcesses in the peritoneum, which must then be drained. Antibiotic therapy has greatly decreased the incidence of the latter complication.