Gastroenterology for Dentists Flashcards
Function of GI tract
Turns the food you eat into energy
Waste removal
Intake of water - hydration
Dysphagia
History taking
Dysphagia can be (x3)
Difficulty swallowing
Duration
Solids or liquids
Pain (odynophagia) - more common in people with damaged oesophageal passages
Weight loss - common in pts with malignant diseases
Prev. medical history
Medications - NSAIDs cause inflammation of upper GI tracts
Cigarettes and alcohol
Oropharyngeal
Oesophageal
Gastric
dysphagia - oropharyngeal
involves x3
can be caused by
salivary gland - sjogrens
tongue - amyloid, hypothyroidism, MS
palatal/epiglottal/upper oesophageal disorder - Cerebrovascular disease, MND, Parkinson’s
neurological disorders
Bile duct
Secretes bile from gall bladder which emulsifies fat suitable for absorption
dysphagia - oesophageal
Benign mucosal disease e.g peptic strictures where mucosa heals with scarring
e. g 2 oesophageal webs
e. g 3 candidal oesophagi’s
malignant mucosal disease - carcinoma
motility disorders
- oesophageal spasm, achalasia, oesophageal pouch
dysphagia - gastric
Carcinoma
Outlet obstruction e.g peptic ulceration
Pharyngeal pouch
Defect between constrictor and transverse cricopharyngeus muscle - diverticulum is created
Dangerous in endoscopy of entering pouch and perforating into mediastinal cavity
Stricture
Forms due to scar tissue
Surgery can cut through muscle
Management of dysphagia
treat underlying cause
Provide supplementation e.g malnourished people - oral supplements, PEG feeding
Indigestion and upper abdominal discomfort
Causes
GORD - gastric upper reflux disease Hiatus hernias Peptic ulceration Non ulcer dyspepsia Pancreatic carcinoma Pancreatitis
Polypoid carcinoma
malignant cause of dysphagia
GORD
Signs+symptoms
Physical mechanism
Heartburn, epigastric pain, acid reflux, waterbrash, nausea, vomiting, tooth decay, asthma
Excessive relaxation of lower oesophageal sphincter and raised intra-abdominal pressure
Causes of GORD
Hiatus hernia - part of stomach herniates above diaphragm
Inflammatory lesions in the oesophagus leading to diaphragm
Diaphragmatic fibres around hiatus can become loose and upper stomach can be pushed upwards into chest cavity
reflux more readily occurs
mechanical abnormality
Management of GORD
Proton pump inhibitors omeprazole and lansoprazole
H2 antagonist - stops reaction of histamines with squamous epithelium
Lifestyle advice (weight loss, smoking cessation, reduce alcohol)
Surgery - fundopliation - part of fundus of stomach is removed and is wrapped around diaphragmatic hiatus
Types of hiatus hernia
Normal
Pre stage
Sliding hiatal hernia
Paraoesophageal type
Oesophageal manometry
Measures pH of fluids coming out
Peptic ulceration
Symptoms
Epigastric pain sometimes radiates into back
worsened by food = associated with weight loss or improved by eating
Complicated by bleeding or perforation
Vomiting/haemastasis (de to gastric ulcer or pyloric outlet obstruction due to duodenal obstruction
Helicobacter pylori or NSAIDs
Management of peptic ulcers
Argon probe to coagulate blood
Clips to isolate vessels
PPI given
Indigestion - upper abdo discomfort - Gastric carcinoma
Symptoms
Management
Treatment
Epigastric pain, weight loss, vomiting
Late diagnosis
Management
Treatment - surgery/gastrectomy if poss
Upper abdominal - non-ulcer dyspepsia
Upper abdominal discomfort, nausea, eructation (belch), bloating
motility disturbance
Pancreatitis
acute inflammation of pancreas causing severe pain, vomiting
chronic relapsing pain (chronic pancreatitis)
commonest cause alcohol > gallstones > pancreatic trauma, drugs, hypercalcamia / lipidaemia, familial