Chapter 12, part 2 Flashcards
Purpose of the colon
Extracts water, sodium, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and some vitamins from the stool
Excretes potassium
What percentage of water and sodium is recovered by the colon?
90% of each
How much water can the colon absorb a day?
Where does most of this absorption occur?
6 L/day
Most occurs on the right side
What is the primary energy source of the colon?
SCFAs -Butyrate -Propionate -Acetate Also creates osmotic gradient, driving solute absorption
Bacterial population of the colon
Bacteroides (anaerobe): MC bacteria overall
E. coli is the MC aerobe
What are the three patterns of colonic motility?
Retrograde
Segmental
Mass movements
Retrograde colonic motility
Anti-peristaltic that starts near the hepatic flexure and moves toward the cecum
Results in slowing of colonic transit and increasing fecal mixing
Where does segmental motility occur?
What does it do?
Transverse and left colon
Propels stool forward over small distances (increasing stool mixing)
What do mass movements do?
Progress along the length of the colon and can move a column of stool up to 1/3 the length of the bowel
During these, pressure is the highest in the sigmoid colon
What supplies extrinsic control of the colon to stimulate and inhibit motility?
Parasympathetic and sympathetic neurons
What are the two plexuses of the intrinsic neurons?
Myenteric (Auerbach)
Submucosal (Meissner)
Where is the myenteric (Auerbach) plexus?
At junction between longitudinal and circular layers of muscularis propria
How is the submucosal (Meissner) plexus formed?
In the submucosa from nerve fibers that perforate the circular muscle layer
Gastrocolic reflex
Ingestion of a meal results in increased colonic tone
How does nl defecation occur?
Initial trigger leads to rectal distention, which leads to internal sphincter relaxation
Puborectalis relaxes, which leads to strengthening of anorectal junction
External anal sphincter relaxes and intra-abdominal pressure increases
Rectal contents evacuated
What is the purpose of the rectum?
Reservoir for stool
Filling of this leads to the urge to defecate as the internal sphincter relaxes
Appendicitis
Inflammation of inner lining that can be d/t obstruction of the lumen by a fecalith or d/t infection
Sx of appendicitis
Periumbilical pain migrating toward RLQ
Nausea
Anorexia
Labs of appendicitis
LFTs
Pancreatic enzymes
Rads of appendicitis
CT of abdomen and pelvis
U/s- for peds or pregnant pts (non-compressible tubular structure)
Tx of appendicitis
Appendectomy
If small abscess or phlegm: do IV abx initially followed by interval appendectomy after 4-6 wks
Large abscess- drainage catheter in addition to abx therapy
Diverticular dz
Outpouchings of the colonic wall
Most commonly d/t high intraluminal pressure in areas of anatomic weakness where small arterioles traverse the colon wall
What is the MC site for diverticular dz?
Sigmoid colon
Diverticulosis
Usually asymptomatic
Common cause of lower GI bleeding