Gastroenterology Flashcards
how do you classify flares of ulcerative colitis
what is the triad for intestinal angina
colicky post-prandial abdo pain
weight loss
abdominal bruits
what are the two types bowel ischaemia
- acute mesenteric ischaemia
- abdo pain severe and sudden and out of keeping with physical exam findings
- ususally caused by embolism
- classically with a history of atrial fibrillation
- management is urgent surgery
- poor prognosis
- ischaemic colitis
- acute but transient compromise of blood flow to large bowel
- can cause inflammation, haemorrhage and ulceration
- more common in watershed areas like the splenic flexure
- border of are supplied by superior and inferior mesenteric arteries
what are the investigations for bowel ischaemia
- CT
- thumbprinting is seen in ischaemic colitis
what is the management of acute mesenteric ischaemia
URGENT SURGERY
what is the management of ischaemic colitis
usually supportive - surgery may be needed in a minority of cases if conservative measures fail
if a patient has already eliminated gluten from their diet how long should they reintroduce it for before they can be re-investigate for coeliac
6 weeks
how i coeliac diagnosed
- serology
- TTG IgA
- also look for endomyseal antibody to check for IgA deficiency which would give a false negative result
- endoscopic duodenal biopsy
- gold standard
- findings
- villous atropy
- crypt hyperplasia
- increase in intraepithelial lymphocytes
- lamina propria lymphocytic infiltration
what is boerhaave syndrome
acute oesophageal rupture due to extreme vomiting
what is the presentation of boerhaave syndrome
- triad
- prolonged violent vomiting
- sudden onset chest pain
- shock
- may also have
- surgical emphysema
what is plummer-vinson syndrome
- triad of
- dysphagia (secondary to oesophageal webs)
- glossitis
- iron deficiency anaemia
- treatment is iron supplementation and dilation of the webs
what is mallory weiss syndrome
- severe vomiting -> painful mucosal lacerations at the GO junction
- results in haematemesis
- common in alcoholics
how do you calculate number of units in alcohol
volume in ml x (ABV/1000)
investigation of new onset dysphagia
urgent endoscopy - it’s a red flag symptom
causes of dysphagia by classification
- is total iron binding capacity low or high in:
- a: iron deficiency anaemia
- b: anaemia of chronic disease
- a) TIBC is high in iron deficiency anaemia as the body produces more transferrin to try and carry more iron
- b) TIBC is low in anaemia of chronic disease because the body is not able to produce as much transferrin
features of hepatic encephalopathy
- altered GCS
- asterixis
- constructural apraxia (inability to draw a 5 pointed star)
- triphasic slow waves on EEG
- raised ammonia level
grading of hepatic encephalopathy
- Grade 1: irritability
- Grade 2: confusion, inappropriate behaviour
- Grade 3: incoherent, restless
- Grade 4: coma
management of hepatic encephalopathy
- lactulose
- promotes excretion of ammonia and increases metabolism of ammonia by gut bacteria
- rifaximin
- modulates the gut flora resulting in decreased ammonia production
what is the only investigation recommended for H.pylori post-eradication therapy
urea breath test
why do patients with coeliac disease require immunisations and which immunisations do they requrie
- because they often have a degree of functional hyposplenism
- so they’re offered the pneumococcal vaccine
- booster every five years
- flu vaccine on an individual level
compare adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus
what is the finding on PR exam in appendicitis
right sided tenderness
blood results in apendicitis
a neutrophil-predominant leucocytosis
what is Zollinger-Ellison syndrome
- characterised by excessive levels of gastrin
- usually because of a gastrin secreting tumour of the duodenum or pancreas
- about 30% of cases are due to multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN-1)
- features
- diarrhoea
- malabsorption
- multiple gastroduodenal ulcers
symptoms of vitamin c deficiency
- follicular hyperkeratosis
- easy bruising
- poor wound healing
- gingivitis with bleeding and receeding gums
- sjorgen’s syndrome
- arthralgia
- oedema
diagnosis of SBP
paracentesis shows neutrophil count >250cells/ul
what is the most common organism found on ascitic fluid culture in SBP
E.coli
what is the management of SBP
IV cefotaxime
what is budd-chiari syndrome
- hepatic vein thrombosis usually seen in the context of underlying haematological disease or another procoagulant condition
- it presents with a triad of:
- sudden onset abdominal pain
- ascites
- tender hepatomegaly
which antibodies are associated with primary biliary cirrhosis?
- anti-mitochondrial antibodies
- remember rule of M
- IgM
- anti-mitochondrial antibodies M2 subtype
- Middle aged females
diagnosis of PBC
- anti-mitochondrial antibodies M2 subtype highly specific and sensitive
- raised serum IgM
- imaging
- MRCP or RUQ US
- required to exclude extrahepatic biliary obstruction
management of PBC
- ursodeoxycholic acid
- slows disease progression and improves symptoms
- cholestyramine for pruritis
- fat soluble vitamin supplementation
- transplant
- if bilirubin >100
- recurrence can occur in graft but not usually a problem