Gastroenterology Flashcards
What is the most common cause of abdominal pain?
Appendicitis
- Rare in <3yo
What are the signs and symptoms of appendicitis?
- Anorexia
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Umbilical → RIF pain
- Fever
- Generalised abdominal tenderness
What are the appropriate investigations for appendicitis?
- FBC
- Pregnancy test - if female
- AXR ± CTAP
What is the management of appendicitis?
- GAME
- Group & Save
- Abx IV
- MRSA screen
- Eat & drink - must be NBM
- Appendicectomy
What are the possible diagnoses for the ‘red flag’ symptoms of bile-stained vomit?
- Intestinal obstruction
- Intussusception
- Malrotation
- Strangulated inguinal hernia
What are the possible diagnoses for the ‘red flag’ symptoms of haematemesis?
- Oesophagitis
- Peptic ulcer
What are the possible diagnoses for the ‘red flag’ symptoms of projectile vomit at 2-7 weeks old?
- Pyloric stenosis
What are the possible diagnoses for the ‘red flag’ symptoms of vomiting at end of paroxysmal coughing?
- Whooping
What are the possible diagnoses for the ‘red flag’ symptoms of abdominal tenderness?
- Surgical abdomen
What are the possible diagnoses for the ‘red flag’ symptoms of abdominal distension?
- Intestinal obstruction
- Strangulated inguinal hernia
What are the possible diagnoses for the ‘red flag’ symptoms of hepatosplenomegaly?
- Chronic liver disease
- Inborn error of metabolism
What are the possible diagnoses for the ‘red flag’ symptoms of blood in stool?
- Intussusception
- Gastroenteritis
- Ssalmonella
- Campylobacter
What are the possible diagnoses for the ‘red flag’ symptoms of severe dehydration/shock?
- Systemic infection
- DKA
What are the possible diagnoses for the ‘red flag’ symptoms of bulging fontanelle/seizures?
- Increased ICP
What are the possible diagnoses for the ‘red flag’ symptoms of failure to thrive?
- CORD
- Coeliac disease
- Chronic GI
What are the causes of vomiting in infants?
- GO reflux
- Feeding problems
- Infection
- Dietary protein intolerance
- Intestinal obstruction
- Inborn errors of metabolism
- Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
- Renal failure
What are the causes of vomiting in pre-school aged children?
- Gastroenteritis
- Appendicitis
- Intestinal obstruction
- Increased ICP
- Coeliac
- Renal failure
- Testicular torsion
What are the causes of vomiting in school aged children?
- Gastroenteritis
- Infection
- Peptic ulcer
- Appendicitis
- Migraines
- Increased ICP
- Coeliac disease
- Renal failure
- DKA
- Alcohol/drugs
- Cyclical vomiting syndrome
- Bulimia/anorexia
- Pregnancy
- Testicular torsion
What are the possible diagnoses for the ‘red flag’ symptoms of failure to pass meconium in first 24hrs?
- Hirschsprung’s
What are the possible diagnoses for the ‘red flag’ symptoms of failure to thrive or growth failure?
- Hypothyroid
- Coeliac
What are the possible diagnoses for the ‘red flag’ symptoms of gross abdominal distension?
- Hirschsprung’s
- Other GI dysmotility
What are the possible diagnoses for the ‘red flag’ symptoms of abnormal lower limb neurology or deformation?
- Lumbosacral pathology
What are the possible diagnoses for the ‘red flag’ symptoms of sacral dimple above nasal cleft?
- Spina bifida occulta
What are the possible diagnoses for the ‘red flag’ symptoms of perianal fistulae/abscess/fissure?
- Perianal Crohn’s
What are the normal bowel habits of an infant?
- Can be highly variable
- Infants = 4/day to 2/day by 1yo
- Breast fed infants may not pass stools for several days
- By age 4 = normal adult pattern = 3/day to 3/week
What are the normal feeding habits of an infant?
- Newborn = 45-90ml per 2-3 hours
- 2 months = 120-150ml per 3-4 hours
- 6 months = solids can be started to be introduced
- Point at which they have double their birthweight and can sit up → will still need milk until 1 year old
What are the causes of constipation in babies?
- Hirschsprung’s
- Anorectal abnormality
- Hypothyroid
- Hypercalcemia
- Idiopathic
What are the causes of constipation in non-infant children?
- Toilet training issues
- Stress
- Follows acute febrile illness
What are the complications of constipation?
- Overdistended rectum
- Loss of feeling the need to defecate → involuntary soiling with overflow
What are the possible diagnoses for the ‘red flag’ symptoms of perianal bruising or multiple fissures?
- Sexual abuse
What is the management of constipation?
- Treat the underlying cause
- Medications for dis-impaction or mild constipation
- Step 1 = Movicol Paediatric Plain
- Polyethylene glycol (osmotic laxative) + electrolyte escalating dose for 2 weeks
- Step 2 = Add a stimulant laxative for dis-impaction or stimulant laxative for mild constipation
- Step 3 = Maintain for 6 months
- Step 1 = Movicol Paediatric Plain
What are the types of laxatives?
- 1st line = Osmotic - Polyethylene Glycol 3350/Movicol, lactulose
- 2nd line = Stimulant - Bisacodyl, Senna, sodium picosulphate
- Bulk-forming = fybogel, methylcellulose
- Stool-softener = arachis oil, docusate sodium
What counselling should be given to parents with a child with constipation?
- Explain it is simple constipation and that it is very common
- Explain treatment - want to break the cycle of a hard stool being difficult to pass
- Explain that Movicol takes time to work
- Disimpaction = escalating dose for 2 weeks
- Maintenance = can be a long time until bowel habits are re-established
- Advise encouraging the child to sit on the toilet after mealtimes (reflex)
- Advise behavioural intervention (star chart) to aid motivation
What are the causes of acute abdominal pain?
What are the causes of gastroesophaegael reflux in children?
- Inappropriate relaxation of LOS → most resolve by 1yo
- If persistent = GORD
What are the appropriate investigations for gastroesophageal reflux in children?
- Clinical diagnosis
- 24hr LOS pH monitoring - normally remains mostly above 4
- OGD
What are the reasons for a same day referral for gastroesophageal reflux?
- Haematemesis
- Melaena
- Dysphagia present
What are the reasons for assessment by a paediatrician for gastroesophageal reflux?
- Red flag symptoms
- Faltering growth
- Unexplained distress
- Unresponsive to medical therapy
- Feeding aversion
- Unexplained IDA
- No improvement after 1 year of age
- Suspected Sandifer’s syndrome
What are the complications of gastroesophageal reflux in a child?
- Recurrent aspiration pneumonia
- Apnoea
- Epileptic seizure-like events
- Upper airway inflammation
- Dental erosion with neurodisability
- Recurrent acute otitis media
What is the management of gastroesophageal reflux in a child?
- Initial Management
- If breast-fed
- 1st = breastfeeding assessment
- 2nd = consider trial of alginate for 1-2 weeks
- 3rd = pharmacological
- If formula-fed
- 1st = review feeding history
- 2nd = trial smaller, more frequent feeds
- 3rd = trial of thickened formula
- 4th = trial of alginate therapy
- 5th = pharmacological
- If breast-fed
- Pharmacological Management = GORD
- Gaviscon (a form of alginate therapy)
- Omeprazole
- Ranitidine
- Dunno → so refer to get metoclopramide
What counselling should be given to parents with a child with gastroesophageal reflux?
- Explain diagnosis - immaturity of the gullet leading to food coming back the wrong way
- Reassure that this is common and usually gets better with time
- Breastfeeding: offer assessment ± alginate therapy
- Formula: review feeding history → smaller, more frequent feeds → thickeners ± alginate therapy
- Safety net: keep an eye on the vomitus (if it’s blood-stained or green seek medical attention)
Define Pyloric Stenosis.
Hypertrophy of the pyloric muscle causing gastric outlet obstruction.
What is associated with pyloric stenosis?
Turner’s syndrome
What are the signs and symptoms of pyloric stenosis?
- Projectile Vomiting - non-bilious
- Increases in frequency and forcefulness over time, ultimately becoming projectile)
- Occurs ~30 minutes after a feed
- Present at 2-8 weeks - boys > girls
- Palpable ‘olive’ mass in RUQ
- Visible peristalsis in upper abdomen
- Hunger → dehydration → loss of interest in feeding → weight loss + depressed fontanelle
What are the appropriate investigations for pyloric stenosis?
- Test feed → observe for gastric peristalsis
- USS confirmation – target lesion, >3mm thickness
-
Hypochloraemia hypokalaemic metabolic alkalosis
-
Low [Cl-], Low [H+]; Low [K+] and [Na+]
- HCO3- is elevated = metabolic alkalosis
- May progress to a dehydrated lactic acidosis (opposite biochemical picture)
-
Low [Cl-], Low [H+]; Low [K+] and [Na+]
- ABG isn’t routinely done
What is the management of pyloric stenosis?
- IV slow fluid resuscitation + correct any disturbances = 1.5x maintenance rate +5% dextrose + 0.45% saline
- Laparoscopic Ramstedt pyloromyotomy
Define Infant Colic.
Describes a common abdominal symptom complex → 40% of babies in the first few months of life
What are the signs and symptoms of infant colic?
- Manifests as random inconsolable crying and drawing up on the hands and feet
- Resolves by 3-12 months
What is the management of infant colic?
- Soothe infant – hold with gentle motion, optimal winding technique, white noise
- If persistent → consider cow’s milk protein allergy or reflux consider
- 2-week trial of whey hydrolysate formula; followed by
- 2-week trial of anti-reflux treatment
- Support:
- Self-help support groups
- Get support from health visitor, family, friends and other parents
Define Intussusception.
Invagination of proximal bowel into distal component.
- 95% ileum through to caecum through ileocecal valve
- Stretching and constriction of the mesentery → venous obstruction → engorgement and bleeding from the bowel mucosa, fluid loss → bowel perforation, peritonitis and gut necrosis
What are the causes and associations of intussusception?
- Causes
- Idiopathic
- Enlarged Peyer’s patches after gastroenteritis
- Lead points
- Cardiac hypertrophy
- Associations
- Lymphoma
- Gastroenteritis
- HSP
- CF
What are the signs and symptoms of intussusception?
- Colic
- Vomit - may be bile stained depending on the site of the intussusception
- Present 3 months to 2 years
- Late sign = red-currant jelly stool (bloody mucus)
- Abdominal distension (± sausage-shaped mass) and shock
- Sausage-shaped mass on physical examinationin RUQ
- Dance’s sign = emptiness on palpation in RLQ
What are the appropriate investigations for intussusceptions?
- 1st line = Abdominal USS → “Target Mass”
- 2nd line = Abdominal X-Ray → paucity of air in RUQ + large bowel, thickened wall (oedema), poorly defined liver edge, dilated small bowel loops
- 3rd line = barium enema
What is the management of intussusception?
- Drip and Suck
-
Surgery
-
1st line = rectal air insufflation / barium/gastrograffin enema
- Process = barium trickled in, assess location + treat
- Success rate 75% → 25% require operation
- 2nd line / Perforation = surgical reduction
-
1st line = rectal air insufflation / barium/gastrograffin enema
-
Broad-spectrum antibiotics
- Clindamycin + gentamicin
- Tazocin
- Cefoxitin + vancomycin
What is the prognosis of intussusception?
- 5% recurrence
- If recurrent = investigate for a lead point
- Meckel’s diverticulum
- Polyps
Define Meckel’s Diverticulum.
An ileal remnant of the vitello-intestinal duct on anti-mesenteric border containing ectopic gastric mucosa (i.e. can form gastric ulcers that bleed) or pancreatic tissue.
What are the signs and symptoms of Meckel’s diverticulum?
- PAINLESS MASSIVE PR bleeding - dark red
- Present at 1-2 years old
- Bilious vomiting
- Dehydration
- Intractable constipation
- May present in addition to:
- Intussusception
- Volvulus
- Diverticulitis
What are the appropriate investigations for Meckel’s diverticulum?
- Technetium scan (Meckel’s scan) = indicates increased uptake by gastric mucosa in 70% of cases
- AXR or abdominal USS ± laparoscopy
What is the management of Meckel’s diverticulum?
- Asymptomatic / Incidental imaging finding = no treatment
- Symptomatic:
- Bleeding = excision of diverticulum with blood transfusion (if haemodynamically unstable)
- Obstruction = excision of diverticulum and lysis of adhesions
- Perforation/peritonitis = excision or small bowel segmental resection with perioperative antibiotics
- Cefotaxime, clindamycin/metronidazole
What is the ‘Rule of 2’s’ in Meckel’s diverticulum?
- (1 to) 2-years-old
- 2% population
- 2x more common in boys
- 2 feet from ileocecal valve (2 feet for adult)
- 2 inches long
- 2 different mucosae (gastric and pancreatic)
Define Volvulus.
A loop of intestine twists around itself and the mesentery that supports it, resulting in a bowel obstruction.
What predisposes an infant to volvulus/malrotation?
-
Mesentery not fixed to duodenal flexure or ileo-ceacal region
- Can occur during rotation of the GI tract during foetal development → shorter base with volvulus ± Ladd bands obstruct duodenum → biliary vomiting
- Exomphalos
- Congenital diaphragmagmatic hernia
What are the signs and symptoms of volvulus/malrotation?
- Asymptomatic and present at any age with volvulus
OR
- Present in first few days of life with obstruction ± compromised blood supply
- Abdominal pain
- Bilious vomiting
- Peritonism
- Scaphoid abdomen (i.e. concave abdomen)
What are the appropriate investigations for suspected volvulus in an infant?
- Upper GI contrast study → assess patency if bilious vomiting
- USS
What is the management of volvulus in an infant?
-
Urgent laparotomy - Ladd’s procedure if signs of vascular compromise
- Untwist volvulus
- Mobilize duodenum
- Place bowel in non-rotated position
- Remove necrotic bowel
Define Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
Altered GI mobility and abnormal sensation ± psychosocial stress and anxiety effect.
- Often a FHx component
- Coeliac’s/UC/Crohn’s must be excluded → diagnosis of exclusion
- Symptoms may be precipitated by GI infection
What are the signs and symptoms of IBS?
- Abdominal pain – often worse before or relieved by defecation
- Explosive loose or mucus stools
- Bloating
- Feeling of incomplete defecation – tenesmus
- Constipation
What are the causes of recurrent abdominal pain in children?
- Somatisation / No structural causes - >90%
- Gastrointestinal
- IBS
- Constipation
- Non-ulcer dyspepsia / Peptic ulceration / Gastritis
- Abdominal migraine
- Eosinophilic oesophagitis
- IBD
- Malrotation / Volvulus
- Gynaecological
- Dysmenorrhoea
- Ovarian cysts
- PID
- Abuse / Bullying
- Hepato-pancreatic
- Hepatitis
- Gallstones
- Pancreatitis
- Urinary tract
- UTI
- PUJ obstruction