Dysphagia, Odynophagia, Atypical Chest Pain Flashcards
Close to one third of pts with chest pain have what as the source?
esophagus
Atypical chest pain = not angina
What part of hx and PE can be used to distinguish CV vs. GI chest pain source?
none - they cannot make a distinction
What are potentially life threatening GI causes of chest pain?
a. Boerhaave Syndrome/Iatrogenic esophageal perforation
b. Peptic ulcer disease
What is Boerhaave Syndrome?
- transmural tear of the distal esophagus induced by a sudden increase in pressure
- classic triad*: vomiting, abdominal or chest pain, and subcutaneous emphysema
*absent in many patients
What are iatrogenic causes of esophageal perforation? spontaneous?
a. trauma: nasogastric tube, endoscopy…
b. forceful retching/vomiting, hx of alcohol use, Boerhaave’s
How do you dx an esophageal rupture?
- CXR - air in mediastinum/subQ emphysema
or
- CT chest with contrast (gastrografin contrast - do not use barium bc it can cause inflammation of mediastinum)
How do you treat an esophageal rupture?
a. NPO
b. Parenteral ABs
c. Surgery
d. Endoscopic stenting
What is Hamman’s sign?
- crunching, rasping sound
- synchronous with heartbeat
- heard over precordium mainly during systole
- best heard in left lateral decubitus position
- often associated with muffled heart sounds
PUD ulcers extend through what layer?
muscularis mucosae
What age group typically gets PUD?
most commonly:
30-55 - duodenal ulcer
55-70 - gastric ulcer
What are the key sx of PUD?
- gnawing, dull, aching, hunger like pain
- periodicity (sx for weeks; fine for months)
- signs of GI bleeds
- mild, localized epigastric tenderness to deep palpation may be present on PE
How do you dx PUD?
- EGD with biopsy, CXR, nasogastric lavage, CBC
- Detection of H. Pylori
What is a key step in H. Pylori detection?
- Stop PPIs 14 days before fecal and breath tests
What does it mean if fluid is negative for blood in nasogastric lavage?
you still cannot rule out active bleeding from a DU
What is unique about GU tx?
need to exclude malignancy
*DUs are almost never malignant
For tx of DU/GU, dietary restriction is …?
unnecessary
Compare and Contrast: Nutcracker Esophagus and Diffuse Esophageal Spasm
a. Define/etiology/association
b. LES
c. Sx
d. Dysphagia
e. Dx/Tx
What is a serious complication of GERD?
laryngopharyngeal reflux
esophagitis
stricture
Barrett’s esophagus –> Adenocarcinoma
With GERD, when should you do an EGD?
When alarm features are present
What is a sliding hiatal hernia?
- due to increased intraabdominal pressure
- abdominal obesity, pregnancy, hereditary
- propensity of affected individuals to have GERD
What is a paraesophageal hernia?
- Herniation into the mediastinum includes a visceral structure other than the gastric cardia (most commonly the colon)
- Can lead to: “upside down stomach,” gastric volvulus, strangulation of the stomach
- on PE, can hear bowel sounds in lung fields
How do we dx and tx hiatal hernias?
a. Dx: barium x-ray
b. asx: nothing; sx: surgery
If a pt cannot swallow liquids (including their own saliva), think:
Foreign bodies/food impaction
risk factors: schatzki ring, peptic stricture, webs, esophagitis, achalasia, cancer
The sensation of a lump lodged in the throat, but with swallowing unaffected, is called?
Globus Pharyngeus
Flow chart: Approach to pt with Dysphagia
With oropharyngeal dysphagia, where does food stick?
level of suprasternal notch
When can an esophogeal web cause oropharyngeal dysphagia?
if it is proximal
*typically causes esophageal dysphagia
What is the problem in esophageal dysphagia?
- structural problem: thin, diaphragm like membranes of squamous mucosa
- congenital or acquired
- acquired: eosinophilic esophagitis, Plummer Vision Syndrome
- sx are intermittent (not progressive)