Epigastric Fossa – Meaning and Usage in Medical English

👁 What Does “Epigastric Fossa” Mean?

Epigastric fossa is the medical term for the shallow hollow located in the upper mid-abdomen, just below the sternum (breastbone).

The word comes from Greek roots: epi- meaning upon, gaster meaning stomach, and Latin fossa meaning hollow or depression.

In clinical medicine, it is used to describe both an an anatomical landmark and a site of symptoms or physical findings, particularly during abdominal assessment.

Healthcare professionals commonly reference the epigastric fossa when discussing pain location, inspection findings, or palpation results in patients with gastrointestinal complaints or upper-abdominal discomfort.

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🔍 Clinical Usage

In everyday medical communication, epigastric fossa appears in:

• Patient charts and clinical notes – documenting pain location or tenderness
• Physical examination records – especially abdominal or gastrointestinal exams
• Discharge summaries – describing presenting symptoms and exam findings
• Teaching settings – anatomy lessons and bedside examination training

Clinicians use the term to provide precise localization rather than vague descriptions like “upper stomach area.”

This accuracy is essential for narrowing differentials, as pain in the epigastric fossa may indicate conditions such as gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, gastroesophageal reflux, pancreatitis, or referred cardiac pain.

The term often appears together with descriptors such as:

• Epigastric fossa tenderness
• Pain over the epigastric fossa
• Palpation of the epigastric fossa
• Guarding in the epigastric fossa

Clear documentation using standardized anatomical language avoids misunderstandings between doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals — especially in international clinical environments like OET settings.

Example (clinical documentation):

“Tenderness noted over the epigastric fossa on deep palpation.”

This simply means that pain was found in the hollow below the breastbone when the doctor examined the abdomen.

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🎥 Watch the Short Video

👉 Watch our 20-second clip:

Epigastric Fossa – Learn how to pronounce it and remember how it’s used in real medical English.

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