Block 1 Flashcards
Recommendations for lung cancer screening
- Annual screening→low-dose CT in adults age 55 - 80 who have a 30-pack-year smoking history and currently smoke or have quit within past 15 years
- Discontinue Screening→Once a person has not smoked for 15 years or develops a health problem limiting life expectancy or ability/willingness to have curative lung surgery
Best initial test to Dx acromegaly
Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1)→significantly ↑↑ level compared to the average for age-matched equivalents►positive screen
Confirmatory test for acromegaly
GH after 100 g of glucose is given orally
- Positive if GH remains high (>5 ng/mL)
- Normally a glucose load completely suppress levels of GH
Why don’t you have hyperkalemia and salt loss in secondary adrenal insufficiency caused by pituitary disease?
Aldosterone production is mainly dependent on the renin-angiotensin system→not aldosterone deficiency
*Salt wasting, hyperkalemia, and death are associated with aldosterone deficiency
Use of Metyrapone test. How does it work?
- Assess ACTH production
- Blocks cortisol production→↑ ACTH levels.
- A failure of ACTH levels to rise→suggests pituitary insufficiency
Most common cause of panhypopituitarism
Pituitary adenomas
Best diagnostic study for evaluating and confirming the diagnosis of bladder cancer
Cystoscopy
Most specific and sensitive test to evaluate celiac disease
IgA anti-tissue transglutaminase (anti-tTG) and antiendomysial antibodies (anti-EMA)►jejunal mucosal damage
*Serum antigliadin antibody no longer used routinely►lower sensitivity and specificity
How do you diagnose celiac disease without small bowel biopsy?
- Positive serology (anti-tTG, anti-EMA) + confirmed dermatitis herpetiformis by Bx
- Small bowel biopsy is the most accurate test
Most accurate test of celiac disease and its common findings
Small bowel biopsy→blunting of distal duodenal and/or proximal jejunal villi, crypt hyperplasia, intraepithelial lymphocytosis
*Always necessary to exclude bowel wall lymphoma
How do you differentiate corticosteroid-induced vs statin-induced myopathy?
- Corticosteroid induced→muscle enzymes normal, EMG normal. Lower extremity weakness and proximal atrophy. No correlation with dosage or duration.
- Statin-induced→↑↑ CPK ten times upper limit, weakness
Enough findings to diagnose Wilson disease. Most accurate test to Dx.
- Low ceruloplasmin concentration (<20 mg/dL), Keyser-Fleischer rings on slit-lamp examination
- Liver Biopsy
Clinical hallmark of necrotizing fascitis
Rapidly progressive erythema with pain and tenderness significantly out of proportion of physical findings
Most important and definitive treatment of necrotizing fascitis
Surgical debridement
Difference of the diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide between emphysema and chronic bronchitis, and why?
- Low in Emphysema→loss of alveolar capillaries
- Normal in Chronic Bronchitis
How do you differentiate Rotor vs Dubin-Johnson syndrome?
- Dubin-Johnson→lack elevation of urinary coproporphyrins, has darkly pigmented liver
- Rotor→milder in presentation without black liver, ↑urinary coproporphyrins
When do you evaluate for liver transplantation?
Decompensated liver failure
- Portal hypertension
- ↓Synthetic function (variceal hemorrhage, ascites, encephalopathy)
- Liver biopsy→evaluate extent of structural damage to the liver and candidacy for liver transplantation
Most common presentation of glucagonoma
- Glucose intolerance
- Necrolytic migratory erythema→annular erythematous dermatitis, blistering and erosions
- Weight loss
- Normocytic normochromic anemia
- Diarrhea, thromboembolism
What is the differential diagnosis in a patient with polydipsia and polyuria? Initial steps in management.
- Diabetes insipidus, psychogenic polydipsia, Diabetes mellitus
- 1st step to evaluate→measure urine osmolarity
- 2nd step→Water deprivation test
What do you do next when diagnosing megaloblastic anemia by vitamin B12 deficiency?
Confirm the etiology before treatment (better route is intramuscular)
*Dietary absence (vegans), pregnancy, malabsorption syndrome, ileal or gastric resection, pernicious anemia
History suggestive of pernicious anemia. How do you confirm the diagnosis?
- History of dyspepsia, autoimmune condition (ex, diabetes type 1), elderly.
- Low B12 levels→confirm:
- Serum anti-intrinsic factor antibodies and anti-parietal cell antibodies
In which patients do you perform a head CT scan before lumbar punction when suspect meningitis?
- Papilledema
- Immunocompromised state
- New-onset seizure (within one week of presentation)
- History of CNS disease (mass lesion, stroke, focal infection)
- Abnormal level of consciousness
- Focal neurologic deficit
What is the therapy for Heparin-induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT)?
- Discontinuation of Heparin
- Lepirudin (anticoagulant)
*Continue anticoagulation with non-heparin medication (argatroban, fondaparinux)
Esophagus manometry results in scleroderma. How do you suspect esophageal compromise?
- ↓Lower esophageal sphincter pressure, ↓esophageal peristalsis
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and dysphagia
What is motility-type dysphagia? example of a disease with that.
- Difficulty with liquids and solids from the onset of symptoms
- Diffuse esophageal spasm
Gradual luminal narrowing of the esophagus after many years of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Peptic esophageal stricture
Which are the two aberrant electrical pathways of the Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome?
- Pre-excitation→involves the node itself►Supraventricular tachycardias (atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter)
- Electrical pathway→reaches out of the AV node, connects to the bundle of His in the ventricles→early electrical impulse to the ventricles while bundle of His is in refractory period►Ventricular tachycardia
Drugs of choice in acute WPW hemodynamically stable. Which drugs you must avoid?
- Drugs of choice: Procainamide or Amiodarone
- MUST avoid: Digoxin, calcium channel blockers➡block the normal AV node and force conduction into the abnormal pathway; Beta-blockers.
Gold standard treatment for chronic WPW syndrome.
Radiofrequency ablation
Most sensitive test to diagnose pheochromocytoma
Plasma free fractionated metanephrines
Risk factors to develop shingles
- Advancing age
- Immunosupression
- Trauma to the skin
What is acquired perforating keratosis (Kyrle disease)? and with what condition is related?
- Dome shaped and umbilicated papules with a central keratotic crust on legs or less often trunk, neck, arms or scalp. Early lessions→pustular. Late lessions→resemble prurigo nodularis (central keratotic scale)
- Chronic renal failure and Diabetes mellitus
How do you differentiate cardiac taponade vs right ventricle failure?
- Pulsus paradoxus►Cardiac taponade, NO in right ventricle failure
- Both have Beck’s triad►muffled cardiac sounds, hypotension, jugular venous distention
What is Felty syndrome? Treatment.
- Rare complication (<1%) of rheumatoid arthritis:
- High titer rheumatoid factor
- Splenomegaly
- Neutropenia (<1500, <1000→↑risk of clinically significant infection)
- Gold, MTX (second-line Tx for RA). G-CSF for severe neutropenia or unresponsive to Tx for RA, when splenectomy is contraindicated or not possible
Most likely ECG pattern expected in a pulmonary embolism.
Non-specific ST segment T waves abnormalities and sinus tachycardia→70% of PE
*S1 Q3 T3, right axis deviation, Right bundle branch block, atrial fibrillation [right heart strain]→may suggest PE, but absence doesn´t rule out (20% of PE)
Most useful test for diagnosing pericarditis, which finding is more specific?
ECG→Diffuse concave ST elevation, PR depression (more specific finding), occasionally flipped T waves
*Echocardiogram→to rule out coexisting pericardial effusion or tamponade, often normal in acute pericarditis alone. Find small amount of fluid is not specific, seen in variety of conditions
Treatment of urinary uric acid stone (radiolucent)
- Hydration
- NSAIDs (pain killers)
- Potassium citrate or potassium bicarbonate→alkalinization of urine►uric acid stone dissolve in an alkaline medium
*Add allopurinol if stones don’t resolve with initial treatment
Why you should avoid sodium bicarbonate for a uric acid stone treatment?
Extra salt load→volume expansion►hypercalciuria→formation of calcium stones
*Uric acid is a nidus for calcium oxalate stone formation
Findings in a mesenteric angiography of angiodysplasia. Clinical presentation. Treatment.
- Dilated, slow-flowing vein in the colon
- Lower GI bleeding
- Endoscopic ablation→ cauterization or laser coagulation (if fails, surgical removement of affected bowel)
Most common cause of lower GI bleeding.
- Diverticulosis
2. Angiodysplasia
When beta-blocker and ACEIs are more efficient between them to reduce mortality in post-myocardial infarction patients?
- Beta-blockers→post-MI patients with normal ejection fraction (↓ O2 demand and ventricular arrhythmias)
- ACEI→post-MI in patients with reduced ejection fraction
Most effective method to diagnose dural sinus thrombosis and findings on it.
Cerebral venogram→bilateral infarcts along the posterior and anterior frontal lobes and parietal lobes, extending into the white matter (Sagital sinus infarcts)
*Example: Sagital sinus infarcts tend to cross arterial vascular territories and extend into the white matter
Which Beta-blockers you should avoid when treating Heart Failure and why?
Pindolol and Acebutolol→have sympathomimetic activity
Which electrolyte disturbance is caused by Bartter syndrome? Look like which pharmacologic effect?
- Reabsorptive defect in thick ascending loop of Henle→Affect K/Na/Cl cotransporter►hypokalemia, metabolic alkalosis, hypercalciuria
- Chronic loop diuretic use
Treatment for Bartter syndrome
- Spironolactone→antagonizes effect of ↑ aldosterone (↑ by the loss of electrolytes and intravascular volume in Bartter)
- NSAID→↓ excessive prostaglandins (in Bartter ↑PGE)
Specific findings at physical exam of Graves disease
- Ophtalmopathy-exophthalmos (proptosis)
- Periorbital edema
- Pretibial myxedema
How do you identify a pericardial effusion at chest x-ray? Important physical examination finding to suspect it.
- Enlarged and globular cardiac silhouette (“water bottle” heart shape)
- Clear lung fields
- Inability to palpate the point of maximal apical impulse
- If large pericardial effusion→cardiac tamponade►Beck’s triad (hypotension, elevated JVP, muffled heart sounds)
Initial evaluation for coarctation of the aorta. Dx confirmation.
- Simultaneous palpation of the brachial and femoral pulses→assess for brachial-femoral delay
- Bilateral upper extremities (supine position) and lower extremities (prone position) blood pressure measurement→evaluate blood pressure differential
- Dx confirmation→Echocardiogram
Embolism that more commonly occur during vascular procedures such as peripheral angiography or interventions, guidewire or catheter manipulations during cardiac catheterization, intraaortic balloon pump insertion.
Cholesterol crystal embolism→disruption of atherosclerotic aortic plaques►systemic atheroembolism
Most common cause of sepsis in sickle cell disease.
Streptococcus pneumoniae→despite immunization, is due to non-vaccine serotypes
When do you use acute therapy for hyperkalemia?
- ECG changes
- K>7 mEq/L (with or without ECG changes)
- Rapidly rising K due to tissue breakdown
- Dialysis→renal failure or severe life-threatening hyperkalemia unresponsive to initial therapy
- Calcium gluconate and insulin with glucose
Which metabolic disturbance can be found on diabetic hyporeninism? why?
- Hyperkalemic metabolic acidosis
- Damage of the juxtaglomerular apparatus→hyporeninemic hypoaldosteronism►”aldosterone deficiency”→Renal tubular acidosis type IV (hyperkalemic RTA)
Pathophysiologic cause of renal tubular acidosis type IV (hyperkalemic RTA) and its metabolic consequence
- Aldosterone insufficiency→Diabetic hyporeninism, ACEI, ARBs, NSAIDs, heparin, cyclosporine, adrenal insufficiency
- Aldosterone resistance→K sparing diuretics, obstructive nephropathy, TMP/SMX
- *Impaired function of the cortical collecting tubule►retention of H and K→hyperkalemic Non-anion gap metabolic acidosis
*Preserved kidney function→at least 20-50 mL/min
Diagnostic gold standard for viral myocarditis. Most frequently the diagnosis is assisted by which study?
- Endomyocardial biopsy (lymphocytic infiltration) aided by viral polymerase (DNA or RNA)
- Cardiac MRI▶️late enhancement of the epicardium
What is the indication for mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists on heart failure?
- Left ventricular ejection fraction <40% with recent ST-elevation myocardial infarction
- Symptomatic heart failure
Tumors that cause approximately 75% of all malignant pleural effusions
Lung carcinoma, breast carcinoma and lymphoma
Differences between ascending and descending aortic aneurysms in location and etiology
- Ascending aneurysm→60% cases, origin anywhere from aortic valve to the innominate artery, cystic medial necrosis (aging) or connective tissues disorders (Marfan sx or Ehler-danlos sx)
- Descending aneurysm→40% cases, origin distal to the subclavian artery, atherosclerosis
Chest X-ray findings suggesting thoracic aortic aneurysm
- Widened mediastinal silhouette
- Increase aortic knob
- Tracheal deviation
Finding of ECG of acute pericarditis due to renal failure
- Nonspecific T wave abnormalities
* Classic diffuse ST elevations are typically absent due to lack of myocardial inflammation
Difference between the pleural exudate of tuberculous effusion and malignancy etiology
- Tuberculous→usually lymphocytosis>70%
- Malignancy→lymphocytosis is uncommon
Which electrolyte disturbance is associated with increase susceptibility of digoxin toxicity? Why?
Hypokalemia (may be associated with excessive diuretic use)→permissive for digoxin binding at K+ binding site on Na+/K+ ATPase
Best initial tests to diagnose pulmonary embolism. Which is most often the best next step or test to do after them?
- Chest x-ray, EKG, Arterial Blood Gas
- CT Angiogram (Spiral CT Scan)→standard of care to confirm PE
*Angiography is most accurate but 0,5% mortality (rarely done)
If you suspect a pulmonary embolism and the V/Q and spiral CT don’t give a clear diagnosis, what do you do next?
Lower Extremity Doppler study
- Positive→no further test is needed (80% of PEs come from legs and the therapy won’t change)
- Negative→Withhold Heparin
First choice test to confirm pulmonary embolism in pregnancy
V/Q scan
*Completely normal scan excludes a clot
When do you use thrombolytics in a pulmonary embolism?
- Hemodynamically unstable→hypotension (systolic BP<90, tachycardia, etc)
- Acute right ventricular dysfunction
*There is no specific time limit as in stroke or MI
What is Ludwig angina? Clinical presentation.
- Rapidly progressive cellulitis of the submandibular space→most cases arise from dental infections
- Rapidly systemic symptoms→fever, chills, malaise
- Local compressive→mouth pain, drooling, dysphagia, muffled voice, airway compromise
Findings in the physical examination of Ludwig angina
Mass effect from edema; tender, indurated submandibular area; elevated floor of the mouth; tongue displaced; crepitus
What is the first step to confirm the diagnosis of peripheral artery disease?
Ankle-brachial index→<0,9►diagnostic of occlusive PAD with a 90% sensitivity and 95% specificity in symptomatic patients
*Arterial ultrasound of the lower extremities→less sensitive and specific than ABI►localize site and severity of vascular obstruction
How are the potassium deposits in DKA and why?
Excess of glucagon→hyperglycemia, ketonemia, osmotic diuresis►net renal loss of K+→depletion of total body K+ stores
*Despite reduction in K+ stores→serum [K+] may be ↑ due to acidemia and ↓insulin activity►redistribution of K+ to the extracellular fluid compartment
Major risks factors for Clostridium difficile infection
- Recent antibiotic use (fluoroquinolones, clindamycin, cephalosporins, penicillins)
- Advanced age (>65 years)
- Gastric acid suppression (Ex, PPI)
Gold standard for diagnosis Herpes encephalitis
PCR of HSV DNA in CSF
*Highly sensitive and specific. Replacing brain biopsy.
Best initial test in acute exacerbation of asthma
- Peak expiratory flow (PEF)→approximation of the FVC
- Arterial blood gas (ABG)→↑ A-a gradient
Most accurate test for asthma in an asymptomatic patient
> 20% decrease in FEV1 with use of methacholine or histamine
*Less likely to find an ↑ in FEV1 using a SABA (albuterol)→false negative
Findings in the pulmonary function testing in asthma
- ↓ FEV1, FVC and FEV1/FVC
- ↑>12% and 200 mL in FEV1 with albuterol
- ↓>20% in FEV1 with methacholine or histamine
- ↑ Diffusion capacity of the lung for Carbon monoxide (DLCO)
When do you use anticholinergics in chronic asthma management?
If SABA, LABA and inhaled corticosteroids at maximum doses are not sufficient
*Iptratropium, Tiotropium
Typical presentation in acute asthma exacerbation in arterial blood gas. Which finding suggests the patient is getting worse?
- Hyperventilation→Respiratory alkalosis
- ↑ work of breathing→respiratory muscle fatigue→inability to maintain adequate ventilation (hyper)►normal pH and PaCO2 (normalized or elevated from respiratory alkalosis)►impending respiratory collapse
Which are the 3 most common causes of chronic cough? What is chronic cough?
- Chronic cough→lasting >8 weeks
- Upper airway cough syndrome (postnasal drip)
- Asthma
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
What is a solitary pulmonary nodule? What is the first step when evaluating it?
- Rounded opacity, <3cm, completely surrounded by pulmonary parenchyma, No associated with lymph node enlargement
- Determine if nodule is low, intermediate or high malignancy risk
Which is the management of high, intermediate and low malignancy risk solitary pulmonary nodule?
- High risk→surgical excision
- Intermediate risk→FDG-PET, serial CT scans or Bx depending radiographic findings
- Low risk→serial CT scans
Which disease result in C1 inhibitor deficiency? Which products of the complement cascade are elevated?
- Hereditary angioedema
- Edema producing factors→C2b, bradykinin
- C1q levels are normal, ↑in acquired angioedema forms
- ↓C4 in all forms of angioedema