3. GI (The Pancreas) Flashcards
Pancreas echogenicity on US
Should be greater than normal liver
Pancreas - anatomy
Retroperitoneal structure (tail may be intraperitoneal)
Cystic fibrosis (4)
Pancreas involved in 85-90%.
Thickened secretions cause proximal duct obstruction, leasing to 2 main changes in CF
1) Fibrosis - decreased T1 and T2 signal
2) less commonly, fatty replacement (increased T1 signal)
CF Pancreatic trivia (3)
Complete fatty replacement is most common finding in adult CF.
Markedly enlarged with fatty replacement has been termed lipomatous pseudohypertrophy of the pancreas (buzzword).
Fibrosing colonopathy: wall thickening of proximal colon as a complication of enzyme replacement therapy.
Shwachman-diamond syndrome (3)
2nd commonest cause of pancreatic insufficiency in kids (CF is 1).
Kid with diarrhoea, short stature (metaphyseal chondroplasia) and eczema.
Will also cause lipomatous pseudohypertrophy of pancreas.
Pancreatic lipomatosis (4)
Most common pathologic condition involving pancreas.
Commonest cause in childhood is CF.
Commonest cause in adults is obesity.
Additional causes are Cushing syndrome, Chronic steroid use, Hyperlipidaemia and Shwachman-Diamond syndrome
Dorsal pancreatic agenesis
Leads to diabetes (most beta cells are in tail),
Associated with polysplenia
Pancreatic agenesis vs lipomatosis
Lipomatosis has a duct, agenesis doesn’t
Annular pancreas (4)
Embryonic failure of ventral bud to rotate with duodenum, causing encacement of duodenum.
Results in duodenal obstruction (10%), typically presents as duodenal obstruction in kids and pancreatitis in adults.
Associated with other vague symptoms (post prandial fullness, symptoms of peptic ulcer disease)
Annular duct encircling the duodenum on imaging.
Pancreatic trauma (4)
Pancreas sits infront of vertebral body, susceptible to trauma.
Integrity of the duct is the most important consideration for surgery.
Delayed complications include pancreatic fistula (10-20%) followed by abscess formation.
Injury can be subtle, may include focal pancreatic enlargement or adjacent stranding/fluid.
Pancreatic trauma (imaging) (4)
Can be subtle with just focal enlargement of pancreas.
Low attenuation fluid separating 2 portions of enhancing pancreas, this is a laceration, not contusion.
Presence of fluid surrounding pancreas is nonspecific, could be due to injury or aggressive hydration - will show liver and IVC to prove it’s aggressive fluid resuscitation.
Suspected pancreatic duct injury - need MRCP or ERCP.
Acute pancreatitis - cause (10)
Gallstones and Alcohol make up 80% of cases worldwide.
Other causes include:
ERCP,
medications (valproate),
trauma (commonest childhood cause),
pancreatic cancer,
infection (post viral in kids),
hypercalcaemia, hyperlipidaemia,
autoimmune pancreatitis,
pancreatic divisum, groove pancreatitis, tropic pancreatitis, parasites, scorpion bites.
Acute pancreatitis - clinical (4)
Prognosis estimated with Balthazar score.
Mild (no necrosis) or severe (necrosis).
Necrotic don’t start doing bad until they’re infected, then mortality is 50-70%.
Outcomes otherwise directly correlated with degree of pancreatic necrosis.
Severe acute pancreatitis (4)
Biphasic course.
First 2 weeks are pro-inflammatory. Sterile response in which infection rarely occurs.
Weeks 3-4 transition to anti-inflammatory response, in which risk of translocated intestinal flora and subsequent infection increases.
Pancreatic collections - types
No necrosis
<4 weeks - acute peripancreatic fluid collection
>4 weeks - pseudocyst
Necrosis
<4 weeks - Acute necrotic collection
>4 weeks - Walled off necrosis
Non-vascular complications
Abscess, infection etc.
Gas - as a characteristic sign of infected fluid collection, is only seen in 20% of cases of pancreatic abscess
Vascular complications of acute pancreatitis
Splenic and portal vein thrombosis
- Isolated gastric varices can be secondary to splenic vein occlusion
Pseudo-aneurysm of GDA and splenic arteries.
Acute pancreatitis - Ultrasound
Ultrasound: inflamed pancreas is hypoechoic to normal liver (normal pancreas is hyperechoic)
Pancreatic divisum (5)
2 ducts, a major (Wirsung) and minor (Santorini) duct.
Santorini is superior and smaller.
Wirsung is posterior.
Most common anatomic variant of the pancreas, and occurs when main portion is drained by the minor or accessory papilla.
Clinical significance is increased risk of pancreatitis.
Chronic pancreatitis - general (4)
End result of prolonged inflammatory change, leading to irreversible fibrosis of gland.
Acute pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis are thought of as different disease processes.
Chronic can still get recurrent acute on chronic disease.
Chronic pancreatitis causes - 2
Same causes as acute pancreatitis.
Most common are chronic alcohol abuse and cholelithiasis, together result in 90% of cases.