Chapter 17 part 5--Small Intestine Flashcards
Disease processes common to the small intestine and colon
-bc of their roles in nutrient and water transport and their interface with diverse food and microbial Ags, the intestines are involved by processes like malabsorption, infectious, inflammatory and neoplastic processes
What are the most common causes of intestinal obstruction?
- Tumors, infarctions and strictures (due to for ex: CD) account for 10-15% of obstructions
- 80% are attributable to 4 entities: Hernias, Adhesions, Volvulus and Intussusception
Hernias–hernia sac
- Peritoneal wall defects permit peritoneal sac protrusion in which bowel segments can be trapped (external herniation!!!)
- subsequent vascular stasis and edema lead to incarceration!
- vascular compromise leads to STRANGULATION
Locations of hernias
-femoral and inguinal canals, umbilicus, and surgical scars
Most common cause of intestinal obstruction worldwide
Hernias!!
-also the 3rd most common cause in US
Adhesions are
- residua of localized peritoneal inflammation (peritonitis) following surgery, infection, endometriosis, or radiation
- healing leads to fibrous bridging bw viscera
- congenital adhesions also rarely occur
Most common cause of intestinal obstruction in the US??
-Adehesions!!
Complications of adhesions
-internal herniation (within peritoneal cavity), obstruction and strangulation
4 major causes of intestinal obstruction
1) herniation of a segment in the umbilical or inguinal regions
2) adhesion between loops of intestine
3) volvulus
4) intussusception
Volvulus
- complete twisting of a bowel loop about its mesenteric vascular base leading to vascular and lumina obstruction with infarction
- occurs most often in redundant loops of sigmoid colon followed by cecum and small bowel
Intussusception
- occurs when an intestinal segment (usually small bowel) telescopes into the immediately distal segment
- Peristalsis propels the invaginated segment along with its attached mesentery, resulting in obstruction, vessel compression, and infarction
Intussusception in children vs adults–causes
- infants and children: spontaneous or ROTAVIRUS infxn
- adults: point of traction is usually a tumor!!
- in children under 2 years, intussusception is the most common cause of intestinal obstruction!!!
Ischemic Bowel Disease
- abundant collateral supply throughout GI tract allows bowel to usually tolerate slowly progressive loss of blood supply
- BUT abrupt compromise of any major vessel can cause infarction of severe meters in intestine
Watershed zones
-between major branches (e.g., splenic flexure bw superior and inferior mesenteric artery circulations) are most vulnerable for infarction
Infarction damage ranges; what cells are more susceptible to infarction??
- ranges from mucosal infarction to transmural infarction
- bc they are at the end of the capillary network, the epithelial cells at the tips of villi are more susceptible to ischemia than crypt epithelial cells!!
Important causes of ischemia of bowel=
- Atherosclerosis
- Aortic aneurysm
- Hypercoagulable states
- Embolization
- Vasculitis
Hypoperfusion also associated with?
- cardiac failure, shock, dehydration, vasoconstrictive drugs
- Mesenteric venous obstruction or thrombosis due to hypercoagulability, masses or cirrhosis can also cause ischemic disease
Pathogenesis of ischemic bowel disease
- An initial hypoxic injury occurs at onset of vascular compromise (although intestinal epithelium is relatively resistant to transient hypoxia)
- subsequent repercussion leads to an influx of inflammatory cells and mediators causing majority of damage