Gastroenterology Flashcards
Dysphagia vs Odynophagia
Dysphagia = difficulty swallowing
Odynophagia = pain while swallowing
Alarm symptoms that indicate a need for endoscopy
Weight loss
Blood in stool
Anemia
Define Achalasia
Inability of the LES to relax d/t loss of the nerve plexus
Diagnostic Tests for Achalasia
Barium esophagram: “bird’s beak”
Manometry = most accurate test
In the esophagus, barium studies are acceptable to do first in most patients, although radiologic tests always lack the specificity of endoscopic procedures
Treatment for achalasia
Cannot be “cured”
- Pneumatic dilation (leads to perforation in less than 3% of patients)
- Surgical sectioning or myotomy
- Botulinum toxin injection (reinjection every 3-6 months)
The term “progressive dysphagia” is the most important clue to the diagnosis of…
esophageal cancer
2 forms of spastic disorders of the esophagus
DES (diffuse esophageal spasm) and nutcracker esophagus
manometry will show a different pattern of abnormal contraction
Treatment for esophageal spastic disorders
CCB (similar to Prinzmental angina)
Pills that commonly cause esophagitis
Doxycycline
Alendronate
KCl
Next step for a patient with dysphagia and HIV CD4 < 100
Empirically start fluconazole (over 90% of esophageal infections in patients with AIDS are caused by Candida)
If no improvement = perform upper endoscopy with biopsy
- Large ulcerations = CMV (treat with ganciclovir or foscarnet)*
- Small ulcerations = HSV (treat with acyclovir)*
Schatzki ring vs Plummer-Vinson syndrome
Both give dysphagia
Schatzki = distal esophagus, often from acid reflux and associated with hiatal hernia
PVS = more proximal, iron deficiency anemia (NOT from blood loss) and can transform into SCC
Treatment for Schatzki ring and PVS
Schatzki ring = pneumatic dilation
PVS = iron replacement (may lead to resolution of the lesion)
Diagnosis and treatment for Zenker diverticulum
Best diagnosed with barium studies
Repaired with surgery (no medical therapy)
Do NOT answer NG tube or upper endoscopy because these may cause perforation
When is manometry the answer for a patient presenting with dysphagia
Achalasia
Spasm
Scleroderma
True/False
Mallory Weiss does NOT present with dysphagia
True
Mallory Weiss is a nonpenetrating tear of only the mucosa
Treatment for Mallory Weiss
It will resolve spontaneously
Severe cases with persistent bleeding are managed with an injection of epinephrine or electrocautery
What is the most common cause of epigastric pain?
Non-ulcer dyspepsia
What is the most likely diagnosis in a patient with epigastric pain and history of:
- Pain worse with food
- Pain better with food
- Weight loss
- Tenderness
- Bad taste, cough, hoarse
- Diabetes, bloating
- Nothing else
- Gastric ulcer
- Duodenal ulcer
- Cancer, gastric ulcer (2/2 pain)
- Pancreatitis
- GERD
- Gastroparesis
- Non-ulcer dyspepsia
When is endoscopy indicated for GERD?
Signs of obstruction (dysphagia or odynophagia)
Weight loss
Anemia or heme-positive stools
More than 5-10 years of symptoms to exclude Barrett
Treatment of GERD
PPIs for persistent symptoms
Liquid antacids or H2 blockers for mild/intermittent symptoms
5% will not respond to medical therapy: Nissen, Endocinch, Heat/radiation
Treatment for Barrett esophagus
Must biopsy
Barrett alone = PPIs and rescope every 2-3 years
Low-grade dysplasia = PPIs and rescope every 6-12 months
High-grade dysplasia = Ablation with endoscopy
When is stress ulcer prophylaxis indicated?
Mechanical ventilation
Burns
Head trauma
Coagulopathy
True/False
Alcohol and tobacco do NOT cause ulcers
True
They do, however, delay the healing of ulcers
What is the most accurate test for H pylori?
Biopsy
Urea breath testing and stool antigen are only positive during active infection
Treatment for biopsy (+) H pylori
PPI + clarithromycin + amoxicillin
PPI + clarithromycin + metronidazole (for penicillin allergy)
What is the most appropriate next step for a patient that has an endoscopically confirmed duodenal ulcer, but no reponse to standard treatment (i.e., triple therapy)?
Add bismuth or sucralfate
These may aid in resolution of treatment-resistant ulcers
Switching antibiotics to metronidazole and tetracycline would also be appropriate
How does management change for treatment refractory gastric ulcers?
Repeat endoscopy to exclude cancer
Treatment failure for ulcers most often stems from
Nonadherence to medications
Alcohol
Tobacco
NSAIDs
Difference between gastric ulcers and duodenal ulcers
GU pain is worse with food
GU is routinely biopsied
GU is associated with cancer in 4% of cases
Routinely repeating the endoscopy to confirm healing is standard with GU
When do you scope patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia?
If the patient is > 55 or if alarm symptoms (dysphagia, wt loss, anemia) are present
If the patient is < 45, give PPI
Large (> 1-2 cm) ulcer
Recurrent after Helicobacter eradication
Distal in the duodenum
Multiple
Think gastrinoma (Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome)
Management for suspected gastrinoma
Confirm by measuring: high gastrin levels with high gastric acidity
The next most important issue is to exclude metastatic disease (CT and MRI followed by a somatostatin receptor scintigraphy and endoscopic ultrasound if negative)
Treatment for gastrinoma
Local disease = remove surgically
Metastatic disease = lifelong PPIs
Treatment for diabetic gastroparesis
Erythromycin or metoclopromide