Gastroenterology Flashcards
___________ is a protrusion on the upper part of the stomach into the chest, generally caused by obesity weakening the diaphragm. It is associated with heartburn, chest pain, and dysphagia; symptoms can be indistinguishable from GERD.
Hiatal Hernia
How would you diagnose Hiatal Hernia?
Endoscopy or Barium Studies
This is the best initial therapy for Hiatal Hernia.
Weight loss and PPIs
These are alarm symptoms that indicates Endoscopy for Hiatal Hernia.
Weight loss
Blood in stool
Anemia
This is the inability of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) to relax due to a loss of the nerve plexus within the lower esophagus. The etiology is not clear. There is aperistalsis of the esophageal body.
Achalasia
The patient is usually young (under 50), progressive dysphagia to both solids and liquids at the same time. There is no association with alcohol and tobacco use. What is the most likely diagnosis?
Achalasia
What is the most accurate test for Achalasia?
Manometry - will show a failure of the lower esophageal sphincter to relax
What will you see in the Barium esophagram of Achalasia?
“bird’s beak” as the esophagus comes down to a point
What are your treatment options for Achalasia?
Pneumatic dilation
Surgical sectioning or Myotomy
Botulinum toxic injection
Achalasia cannot be “cured”. Treatment is based on simple mechanical dilation of the esophagus
Patient is usually age 50 or older and presents with dysphagia first for solids, followed later (progressing) to dysphagia for liquids. It is associated with prolonged alcohol and tobacco use and more than 5-10 years of GERD symptoms. What is the most likely diagnosis?
Esophageal Cancer
How would you diagnose Esophageal Cancer?
Biopsy
How would you treat Esophageal Cancer?
Surgical Resection
Chemotherapy and radiation in addition to surgical removal
Stent placement for lesions that cannot be resected surgically to keep esophagus open for palliation and to improve dysphagia
What are the two forms of Esophageal Spasms?
Diffuse Esophageal Spasm (DES)
Nutcracker esophagus
How would esophageal spasm present?
- sudden onset of chest pain that is not related to exertion
- precipitated by drinking cold liquids
How can you distinguish DES and Nutcracker Esophagus?
Manometry
How would you treat esophageal spastic disorders?
Calcium Channel Blockers and Nitrates
A 43-year-old man recently diagnosed with AIDS comes to the emergency department with pain on swallowing that has become progressively worse over the last several weeks. There is no pain when not swallowing. His CD4 count is 43mm3. The patient is not currently taking any medications.
What is the most appropriate step in management?
a. Esophagram
b. Upper endocopy
c. Oral nystatin swish and swallow
d. Intravenous amphotericin
e. Oral fluconazole
E. The most commonly asked infectious esophagitis question is esophageal candidiasis in a person with AIDS.
This is associated with intermittent dysphagia. It is often from acid reflux and is associated with hiatal hernia. This is a type of scarring or tightening (also called peptic stricture) of the distal esophagus.
Schatzki Ring
How would you treat Schatzki Ring?
Pneumatic dilation in an endoscopic procedure
This presents as dysphagia and is associated with iron deficiency anemia and can rarely transform into squamous cell cancer. The IDA is not caused by blood loss. This is located more proximal.
Plummer-Vinson syndrome
How would you treat Plummer-Vinson syndrome?
Iron replacement
This is an outpocketing of the posterior pharyngeal constrictor muscles. There is dysphagia, halitosis, and regurgitation of food particles. Some patients suffer from aspiration pneumonia when the contents of the diverticulum end up in the lung. What is the most likely diagnosis?
Zenker diverticulum
How would you diagnose and treat Zenker diverticulum?
Barium Studies and Surgery Repair
What procedures are dangerous for people with Zenker diverticulum?
Nasogastric tube placement or upper endoscopy
This presents with upper gastrointestinal bleeding after prolonged or severe vomiting or retching. Repeated retching is followed by hematemesis of bright red blood, or by black stool. It does NOT present with dysphagia. What is the most likely diagnosis?
Mallory-Weiss Tear
A 44-year-old woman comes to see you because of pain in her epigastric area for the last several months. She denies nausea, vomiting, weight loss, or blood in her stool. On physical examination, you find no abnormalities.
What is the most likely diagnosis?
a. Duodenal ulcer disease
b. Gastric ulcer disease
c. Gastritis
d. Pancreatitis
e. Non-ulcer dyspepsia
f. Pancreatic cancer
E. Non-ulcer dyspepsia is, by far, the most common cause of epigastric pain.
If patient presents with epigastric pain and is associated with pain that is worse with food, what is the most likely diagnosis?
Gastric Ulcer
If patient presents with epigastric pain and is associated with pain that is better with food, what is the most likely diagnosis?
Duodenal Ulcer
If patient presents with epigastric pain and is associated with weight loss, what is the most likely diagnosis?
Cancer, Gastric Ulcer
If patient presents with epigastric pain and is associated with tenderness, what is the most likely diagnosis?
Pancreatitis
If patient presents with epigastric pain and is associated with bad taste, cough, hoarse, what is the most likely diagnosis?
Gastroesophageal reflux
If patient presents with epigastric pain and is associated with diabetes and bloating, what is the most likely diagnosis?
Gastroparesis
This is the only diagnostic test to truly understand the etiology of epigastric pain from ulcer disease.
Endoscopy
This is always a best initial therapy for epigastric pain.
PPIs
This is the inappropriate relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter, resulting in acid contents of the stomach coming up into the esophagus. Its symptoms are worsened by nicotine, alcohol, chocolate, peppermint, late-night meals, and obesity.
GERD
A 42-year-old man comes to the office with several weeks of epigastric pain radiating up under his chest which becomes worse after lying flat for an hour. He also has a “brackish” taste in his mouth and a sore throat.
What is the most appropriate next step in the management of this patient?
a. Ranitidine
b. Liquid antacid
c. Lansoprazole
d. Endoscopy
e. Barium swallow
f. 24-hour pH monitoring
C. Lansoprazole is a PPI that should be used to control symptoms of GERD. When the diagnosis is very clear (such as in this case), with epigastric pain going under the sternum, bad taste, and sore throat, confirmatory testing is not necessary.
If patient with GERD is not responsive to medical therapy, what can you consider for treatment?
Nissen fundoplication
Endocinch
Local heat or radiation of LES
This disease occurs due to long-standing (at least 5 years) GERD and leads in changes in the lower esophagus with columnar metaplasia.
Barrett Esophagus
This is the only way to be certain of the presence of Barrett Esophagus.
Biopsy
Upon biopsy, you discovered barrett esophagus alone. What is your management?
PPIs and rescope ever 2-3 years
Upon biopsy, you discovered barrett esophagus with low-grade dysplasia. What is your management?
PPIs and rescope evert 6-12 months
Upon biopsy, you discovered barrett esophagus with high-grade dysplasia. What is your management?
ablation with endoscopy: photodynamic therapy, radiofrequency ablation, endoscopic mucosal resection
This is the inflammation or erosion of the gastric lining. It is caused by Alcohol, NSAIDs, Helicobacter pylori, Portal hypertension, Stress such as burns, trauma, sepsis, and multiorgan failure (e.g., uremia).
Gastritis
This is the diagnostic test for erosive gastritis.
Upper endoscopy
This is the most accurate test for Helicobacter pylori
Endoscopic biopsy
How would you treat Gastritis?
PPIs
What are the indications for stress ulcer prophylaxis?
Mechanical ventilation
Burns
Head trauma
Coagulopathy
This is the most common cause of Peptic Ulcer Disease?
Helicobacter Pylori
This is the second most common cause of Peptic Ulcer Disease?
NSAIDs
This is the most accurate test for PUD.
Upper endoscopy
If the cause of PUD is H. Pylori, this is the best initial therapy.
PPI combined with Clarithromycin and Amoxicillin
In PUD that does not respond to initial therapy, what antibiotics can you use as an alternate?
Metronidazole and Tetracycline
A 56-year-old woman comes to the clinic because her symptoms of epigastric pain from an endoscopically confirmed duodenal ulcer have not responded to several weeks of a PPI, clarithromycin, and amoxicillin.
What is the most appropriate next step in the management of this patient?
a. Refer for surgery
b. Switch the PPI to ranitidine.
c. Abdominal CT scan
d. Capsule endoscopy
e. Urea breath testing
f. Vagotomy
g. Add sucralfate
E. If there is no response to DU therapy with PPIs, clarithromycin, and amoxicillin, the first thought should be antibiotic resistance of the organism. Persistent H. Pylori infection can be detected with several methods such as urea breath testing, stool antigen detection, or a repeat endoscopy for biopsy. It would be very hard to choose between these, and that is why they are not all given as choices in this question.
Which one of the two types of PUD has a higher chance of evolving to cancer?
Gastric Ulcer
This is a patient with large (>1-2 cm) ulcers, recurrent H. Pylori infection, ulcers usually found in distal part of duodenum, and usually occurs in multiple. What is the most likely diagnosis?
Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome
What is the most accurate diagnostic test for Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome once endoscopy confirms presence of ulcer?
- High gastrin levels off antisecretory therapy (PPIs or H2 blockers) with high gastric acidity
- High gastrin levels despite a high gastric acid output
- Persistent high gastrin levels despite injecting secretin
This is associated with a massive increase in the number of somatostatin receptors in the abdomen.
Gastrinoma
A 64-year-old patient with diabetes for 20 years comes to the office with several months of abdominal fullness, intermittent nausea, constipation, and a sense of “bloating”. On physical examination, a “splash” is heard over the stomach on auscultation of the stomach when moving the patient.
What is the most appropriate next step in the management of this patient?
a. Abdominal CT Scan
b. Colonoscopy
c. Erythromycin
d. Upper endoscopy
e. Nuclear gastric emptying study
C. When the diagnosis of diabetic gastroparesis seems clear, there is no need to do diagnostic testing unless there is a failure of therapy. Erythromycin and metoclopramide increase gastrointestinal motility. The most accurate test for diabetic gastroparesis is the nuclear gastric emptying study, although it is rarely needed.