abdominal imaging Flashcards
where are the most common places for renal stones to form
- uretopelvic junction
- uretovesical junction
- crossing of iliac vessels
(know what renal stones look like on CT scan)
what is the best modality for seeing gall stones, although can be done on CT
Ultrasound
inflammation of the biliary system is likely due to what pathology
gallstones
what are gallstones made of
hardened deposits of bile made mostly of cholesterol (can have calcium, bilrubinate and calcium carbonate)
gall stones are most common cause of blocked bile ducts, if a gallstone stops between the gallbladder and common bile duct what named infection can occur
cholecystitis
if bacteria accumulates and backs up into the liver due to bile stone blockage, what pathology can this ause
cholangitis
what is the difference between cholecystitis and cholangitis
cholecystitis = inflammation in gall bladder
cholangitis = inflammation in bile ducts
what is the most common cause of acute pancreatisits and how
gallstones
- pancreatic duct joins to the common bile duct near the small intestine
- gallstones can enter the common bile duct and and impinge on the main pancreatic duct causing obstruction of normal flow of pancreatic fluid
- leading to pancreatic injury
OR
- stone causes back flow of bile into pancreatic duct
what dose chronic pancreatitis look like on scan
- coarse calcification /calcified stones throughout pancreas
what are the 2 main function of the pancreas (endocrine and exocrine)
endocrine = producing insulin and glucagon
exocrine = producing digestive enzymes ( proteins mainly)
what artery runs close to the pancreas
splenic artery
what could happen if the pancreas walls were damaged considering the fact that the splenic artery is near by
digestiv e enzymes lead out and erode the splenic artery causing internal bleeding
what is a lobulated kidney and what does it look like on scan
the result of fetal lobulation that persists into adulthood and is caused by incomplete fusion of the developing renal lobules.
(should be smooth but isnt)
- very bumpy, almost like grapes
a fetal pelvic kidney is a normal variant, why is it in this position
- fails to ascend to normal position due to being blocked by blood vessels in aorta
what are 2 common complications of horseshoe kidney
- recurrent infections
- recurrent calculus formation
what is necrotic small intestine and what does this look like on scan
- cellular death due to recuced blood flow to GI tract
- on axial CT, many hollow/dark areas all over (where intestines surround) due to infarction
what is pneumoperitoneum and what does it look like on scan
- air in the peritoneal cavity
- in supine axial scan, you will see dark circles on the anterior border of cavity which is air
what area of the intestine is diverticulum most common in
sigmoid colon
what are 3 functions of the liver
- absorbing and breaking down nutrients
- making bile
- filtering and removing toxins from blood
what is the role of bile
breaks down fatty acids
most liver metastases are secondary to cancer in other abdominal viscera e.g colon why?
blood supply from intestine is directly connected to the liver through the portal vein
what does cirrhosis of liver look like on CT
- brighter, rough edged patter found in the liver due to fibrosis/scarred tissue
what do you call and enlarged spleen and what is the cause of this
- splenomegaly
- caused by hypertension and back flow from portal vein down to splenic vein towards spleen
where is the base of the appendix located
- 2cm below the ileocecal valve
where would pain/ irritation be caused if you had a retrocecal or pelvic appendix
retrocecal = pain in right flank
pelvis = irritate bladder or rectum, suprapubic pain, pain with urination
