Ascites as a Cause of Abdominal and Pelvic Pain

I was recently at a dinner party where an elderly woman was complaining that her physicians were unable to determine the reason for her constant abdominal and pelvic pain. She said she was told there was fluid in her abdomen. Despite having multiple blood tests, CT scans, MRI’s and ultrasound scans, they were unable to determine where this fluid was coming from. Free fluid in the abdomen is referred to as ascites in medical terminology. One of the most common causes of ascites (80 %), is cirrhosis of the liver. This is a result of chronic liver disease and portal hypertension or increased pressure in the liver blood flow. It is the result of an imbalance of pressure between the blood circulation and the abdominal cavity which is a low-pressure space. Increased portal blood pressure and decreased albumin (a protein