What were the findings on palpating all four quadrants of the abdomen?

• A. No abnormalities are noted.
• B. Guarding and tenderness in the midline.
• C. Rebound tenderness in the RLQ.
• D. Distension with tympany.

Answer: (A)

During abdominal palpation, a normal exam across all four quadrants means the abdomen is soft to touch, not tender, with no guarding and no signs of peritoneal irritation. If you find no abnormalities after systematically palpating each quadrant, that aligns with a normal finding, so the best choice is that nothing abnormal is noted.

The other descriptions indicate abnormalities you would expect if there were issues: guarding and tenderness in the midline suggest muscle tension from intra-abdominal irritation; rebound tenderness in the right lower quadrant points to peritoneal inflammation, such as might occur with appendicitis; distension with tympany describes a distended abdomen with a tympanic percussion note, which is identified by percussion rather than palpation and would signal gas or obstruction rather than a normal exam.