GB & the extrahepatic biliary system Flashcards
What is Cantle’s line?
It’s a vertical plane running from the gallbladder fossa anteriorly, to the inferior vena cava posteriorly, divides the liver into right and left lobes.
What are the anatomic areas of the gallbladder?
- Fundus
- Body
- Infundibulum
- neck
What is hartmann’s pouch/infundibulum of the gallbladder?
It’s a mucosal out pouching that it’s present at the junction of the neck and the cystic duct.
How does the gallbladder differs histologically from the rest of the GI tract?
It lacks a muscularis mucosa and submucosa.
Where can the cystic artery be found ?
Within the hepatocystic triangle ( Triangle of calot)
What are the boundaries of hepatocystic triangle ( Triangle of calot) ?
- Cystic duct.
- Common hepatic duct.
- Inferior edge of the liver.
How long and how wide is the common hepatic duct?
1-4 cm long
4 mm in diameter.
How long and how wide is the common bile duct?
7-11 cm long.
5 - 10 mm in diameter.
What is the composition of bile ?
Organic:
- bile acid
- cholesterol
- phospholipids
- Lecithin
- bile pigment (bilirubin from Hb breakdown)
- protein.
Inorganic:
- Na
- Cl
- K
- HCO3
- Ca
- Mg
What is the pathway of cystic artery ?
Arises from right hepatic artery, passes posterior to common hepatic duct (CHD), superior to the cystic duct CD, and through the Calot triangle.
How much bile is produced in a normal adult consuming an average diet?
500 - 1000 mL.
What are the sonographic features of acute cholecystitis?
- Thickened gallbladder wall.
- Pericholecystic fluid.
- Sludge in the gallbladder.
- Local tenderness with direct pressure by US probe over the funds of the gallbladder (sonographic Murphy’s sign).
When to consider an abnormal gallbladder ejection fraction ?
Ejection fraction < 35 %
What are the risk factors of cholelithiasis ?
- Pregnancy
- Non - HDL hyperlipidemia.
- Crohn’s disease.
- Hereditary spherocytosis.
- Sickle cell anemia
- Thalassemia
- Surgeries that ulter the normal neural or hormonal regulation of the biliary tree: terminal ileal resection and gastric or duodenal surgery.
- Rapid weight loss following bariatric surgery or lifestyle changes.
- Somatostatin analogues.
- Estrogen - containing oral contraceptives
- Being a woman.
- Having a first degree relative having cholelithiasis.
What are the complications of gallstones?
- Acute cholecystitis.
- Choledocholithiasis.
- Cholangitis.
- Gallstone pancreatitis.
- Gallstone ileus.
- Gallbladder stones.
What are the indications of prophylactic cholecystectomy in asymptomatic patients ?
- Patients who will be isolated from medical care for an extended period of time.
- Patients with increased risk of gallbladder cancer.
- The presence of porcelain gallbladder (absolute indication).
How do you classify gallbladder stones?
By their cholesterol content:
- Cholesterol stones.
- Pigment stones: Black or Brown.
What is the amin phospholipid in bile ?
Lecithin
Which gallbladder stones are radiopaque and which are radiolucent and why ?
- Cholesterol stones are usually radiolucent (only if it contained high calcium carbonate it will be radiopaque).
- Pigment stones has high calcium content so usually it’s radiopaque.
Brown gallbladder stones usually related to which organisms?
- Escherichia coli.
- Parasite: Ascaris lumbricoides (round worms).
- Parasite: Clonorchis sinensis (liver fluke).
What is the cause of biliary colic ?
A stone obstructs the cystic duct, resulting in a progressive increase of tension in the gallbladder wall as it contracts in response to a meal.
What is biliary colic?
It refers to the postprandial right upper quadrant or epigastric pain.
What is chronic cholecystitis?
It is a chronic noninfectious inflammation of the gallbladder wall.
What do you call the formation of intramural diverticula or sinus tracts in the gallbladder?
Rokitansky–Aschoff sinuses (entrapped epithelial crypts).
What is the chief symptom associated with symptomatic cholelithiasis ?
Biliary colic
Where does usually the biliary colic pain radiates?
To the right upper back or between the scapula.
In gallstone patient who present with atypical symptoms, what are the other DDx you should think off, especially if they’re having upper abdominal pain ?
- Peptic ulcer disease.
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease.
- Herpes zoster.
- Abdominal wall hernias.
- Inflammatory bowel disease.
- Diverticular disease.
- Pancreatitis.
- Liver disease.
- Renal calculi
- Pleuritic pain.
- Cardiac pain.
When there is an impacted stone in the cystic duct without cholecystitis, this will result in a condition called: … ?
Hydrops of the gallbladder (Mucocele)
What are the complications of hydrous of the gallbladder (gallbladder mucocele)?
- Edema of the gallbladder wall.
- Inflammation.
- Infection.
- Perforation.
What is the standard diagnostic test for gallstones?
Abdominal ultrasound as is it noninvasive and highly sensitive.
What is Cholesterolosis?
Cholesterolosis is caused by the accumulation of cholesterol in macrophages in the gallbladder lamina propria, either locally or as polyps.
Strawberry gallbladder is the classic studded macroscopic appearance of which condition?
Cholesterolosis
At which trimester does laparoscopic cholecystectomy
is preferred to be done in pregnant patients with symptomatic gallstones ?
Second trimester.
What is Emphysematous cholecystitis ?
It is an acute infection of the gallbladder wall caused by gas-forming organisms (eg, Clostridium or Escherichia coli).
What are the difference between biliary colic and acute cholecystitis in clinical manifestations?
Biliary colic:
- Relapsing and remitting pain in the RUQ or epigastrium.
- Radiate to the right back or inter scapular area.
Acute cholecystitis:
- Pain never subside.
- Associated with fever, anorexia, nausea and vomiting.
- Patient may refuse to move as the inflammatory process creates focal peritonitis.
What is Murphy’s sign ?
An inspiratory arrest with deep palpation in the right subcostal area, which is characteristic of acute cholecystitis.
How are the labs in a patient with acute cholecystitis ?
- Leucocytosis: mild to moderate (high in complicated acute cholecystitis).
- Elevation of serum bilirubin
- Mild elevation of alkaline phosphatase.
- Mild elevation in Amylase.
- Mild elevation in Transaminase
What is Mirizzi’s syndrome ?
It is a mechanical hepatic duct obstruction caused by extrinsic compression from an impacted stone in the cystic duct or infundibulum of the gallbladder
What are the DDx of acute cholecystitis ?
- Peptic ulcer disease.
- Pancreatitis.
- Appendicitis.
- Hepatitis.
- Perihepatitis ( Fitz- Hugh - Curtiz syndrome).
- Myocardial ischemia.
- Pneumonia
- Pleuritis.
- Herpes zoster involving the intercostal nerve.
What is the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound in acute cholecystitis ?
70% to 90%
What is the treatment of acute cholecystitis ?
- IV fluid.
- Broad spectrum antibiotic ( covers gram negative enteric organisms and anaerobes).
- Analgesia.
- Cholecystectomy is the definitive treatment.
What is the best timing of performing laparoscopic cholecystectomy in patients with acute cholecystitis ?
Early cholecystectomy (within 72 hours of onset of illness) is preferred over delayed cholecystectomy (performed 6 -8 weeks after initial medical treatment.
How do you deal with acute cholecystitis patients who are medically unfit for surgery ?
- Treat with antibiotics.
- Biliary decompression with cholecystostomy tube placement.
- When they recover remove the tube once the track is mature ( approximately 4 weeks) and a cholangiography through it shows a patent cystic duct.
- Elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy can be scheduled within 4-6 weeks if their medical fitness recovered.
- If they are still unfit but there is complications of acute cholecystitis then damage control surgery is Unavoidable.
Which type of stones usually found in primary CBD stones and in secondary CBD stones?
In primary CBD stones: Brown pigment type.
In secondary CBD stones: Cholesterol stones.
What are the causes of biliary stasis that leads to the development of primary CBD stones ?
- Biliary stricture.
- Papillary stenosis.
- Tumors.
- Other secondary stones.
How much is the diameter of a dilated common bile duct (CBD) ?
> 8 mm in diameter.
Wha is the sensitivity and specificity of MRCP in detecting choldocholithiasis ?
sensitivity : 95%
specificity : 89%
What is the sensitivity and specificity of Endoscopic ultrasound in detecting choldocholithiasis ?
sensitivity : 95 %
specificity : 97%
What is the treatment for a patient with a symptomatic gallstones and suspected common bile duct stones?
Bile duct clearance and cholecystectomy.
Either:
- Preoperative ERCP followed by surgery.
- Intra-operative cholangiogram and common bile duct exploration.
What do you call a bile duct stone that was left in place at the time of surgery or diagnosed shortly after the cholecystectomy ?
Retained stone.
What do you call a bile duct stone that was diagnosed months or years after cholecystectomy ?
Recurrent stones.
How does retained or recurrent bile duct stones best treated ?
Endoscopically:
- A generous sphincterotomy
- Mature T-tube tract (4 weeks). And under fluoroscopic guidance the stone can be retrieved with a basket or a balloon.
- Or by Percutaneous Transhepatic Cholecystostomy PTC/
What is the definition of acute cholangitis ?
It is an ascending bacterial infection associated with partial or complete obstruction of the bile ducts.
What is the most common cause of obstruction in cholangitis ?
Gallstones .
What are the causes of obstruction in cholangitis ?
- Gallstones (most common).
- Primary sclerosing cholangitis.
- Benign and malignant strictures.
- Parasites.
- Instrumentation of the duct.
- Indwelling stent.
- Biliary enteric anastomoses.
What is the most common organisms cultured from bile on patients with cholangitis ?
- E.coli
- Klebsiella pneumoniae.
- Streptococcus faecalis
- Enterobacter.
- Bacteriodes fragilis.
What is the Charcot’s train ?
It is the classic symptoms of cholangitis:
- Fever
- Epigastric or RUQ pain
- Jaundice.
What is Reynold’s Pentad ?
Cholangitis with septic shock:
- Fever
- Jaundice.
- RUQ pain
- Septic shock
- Altered mental status