Cholangitis Flashcards
What is cholangitis?
An infection of the biliary tract
What is cholangitis associated with?
High morbidity and mortality if left untreated
What is cholangitis caused by?
Combination of biliary outflow obstruction and biliary infection
What happens during a biliary outflow obstruction?
Stasis of fluid combined with elevated intraluminal pressure allows bacterial colonisation of the biliary tree to become pathological
What kind of conditions can cause cholangitis?
Any condition which causes occlusion of the biliary tree has the potential to cause cholangitis
What are the most common causes of cholangitis?
- Gallstones
- ERCP
- Cholangiocarcinoma
What are the rarer causes of cholangitis?
- Pancreatitis
- Primary sclerosing cholangitis
- Ischaemic cholangiopathy
- Parasitic infections
What are the most common infective organisms implicated in cholangitis?
- E. Coli
- Klebsiella
- Enterococcus
What are the common presenting symptoms of cholangitis?
- RUQ pain
- Fever
- Jaundice
What are the other symptoms of cholangitis?
- Pruritis
- Pale stool
- Dark urine
What might a patient with cholangitis PMH contain?
- Gallstones
- Recent biliary tract instrumentation
- Previous cholangitis
What medications increase the risk of cholangitis?
- OCP
- Fibrates
What might be found on examination with cholangitis?
- Pyrexia
- Rigors
- Jaundice
- RUQ tenderness
- Confusion
- Hypotension
- Tachycardia
What eponymous syndromes are associated with cholangitis?
- Charcots triad
- Reynold’s Pentad
What is Charcots triad?
- Jaundice
- Fever
- RUQ pain
What is Reynold’s pentad?
- Jaundice
- Fever
- RUQ pain
- Hypotension
- Confusion