Biliary tree damage Flashcards
Risk factors for gallstones
5 Fs
- fat
- female
- forty
- fertile (pregnancy)
- family history
What two structure form the common bile duct?
Common hepatic duct
Cystic duct
define cholelithiasis
presence of gallstones
define choledocholithiasis
gallstones in the bile duct
Complications of gallstones
Biliary colic
Acute cholecystitis
Acute ascending cholangitis
Acute pancreatitis
What is biliary colic?
- sudden constant onset right upper quadrant pain (radiates to back)
- caused by temporary obstruction of cystic duct by gallstones at neck of gallbladder
Treatment of biliary colic
Pain relief
Cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal)
What is acute cholecystitis?
- inflammation of gallbladder
- due to impaction of gallstones in cystic duct
- right upper quadrant pain + fever
- Murphy’s sign
Presentation of acute cholecystitis
- RUQ pain
- radiation of pain to shoulder
- fever
- Murphy’s sign
- N+V
What is Murphys sign?
- place hand on patients right side of abdomen
- ask to take a deep breath in
- gall bladder hits hand > patient sudden breath in and pain
- no pain on left side
imaging of acute cholecystitis + findings
USS
- thickened gallbladder wall
- stones or sludge in gallbladder
- fluid around gallbladder
Treatment of acute cholecystitis
- hospital admission
- nil by mouth
- Analgesia
- IV fluids
- IV abc e.g. co-amoxiclav
- ERCP
- laparoscopic cholecystectomy
What is gallbladder empyema?
infected tissue + pus collecting in gallbladder
Diagnosis of gallbladder empyema
USS or CT scan
Treatment of gallbladder empyema
- IV antibiotics
- laparascopic cholecystectomy
- or percutaneous cholecystostomy (if unsuitable for surgery)
What is acute ascending cholangitis?
- inflammation of the bile ducts
- infection of the biliary tree caused by gallstone blocking the common bile duct
- Charcot’s triad presentation: RUQ pain, fever/inflammation + jaundice
Two main causes of acute ascending cholangitis
- obstruction in bile duct (gallstone)
- infection introduced during ERCP | most commonly E.coli
Presentation of acute ascending cholangitis
Charot’s triad: RUQ pain, fever, jaundice (raised bilirubin)
- Reynold’s Pentad: RUQ pain, fever, jaundice, hypotension, confusion
What is Reynold’s pentad?
what is it suggestive of?
- RUQ pain
- fever
- jaundice
- hypotension
- confusion
. - acute ascending cholangitis
Imaging for acute ascending cholangitis
- abdominal USS
- CT scan
- MRCP
Management of acute ascending cholangitis
- hospital admission
- nil by mouth
- IV fluids
- blood cultures
- IV ABx
- ERCP to remove the stone
What is gallstone pancreatitis?
- gallstone obstructs distal common bile duct where the pancreatic duct joins
- this causes premature activation of pancreas enzymes
- protease enzymes auto digest the pancreas
- epigastric pain (can radiate to back)
Causes of acute pancreatitis
I GET SMASHED
- Idiopathic
- Gall stones
- Ethanol
- Trauma
- Scorpion stings
- Mumps
- Autoimmune
- Steroids
- Hypercalcaemia
- ERCP
- Drugs
Presentation of acute pancreatitis
- Epigastric pain > radiates to back
- Vomiting
- abdominal tenderness
- systemically unwell
- Cullen’s sign
- Grey Turner’s sign