General surgery Flashcards
what diseases can occur in right upper quadrant pain?
- Bilary Colic
- Cholecystitis/Cholangitis
- Duodenal Ulcer
- Liver abscess
- Portal vein thrombosis
- Acute hepatitis
- Nephrolithiasis
- RLL pneumonia
what diseases can occur with epgastrium pain?
- Acute gastritis/GORD
- Gastroparesis
- Peptic ulcer disease/perforation
- Acute pancreatitis
- Mesenteric ischaemia
- AAA (Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm) Aortic dissection
- Myocardial infarction
what diseases can occur with left upper quadrant pain?
- Peptic ulcer
- Acute pancreatitis
- Splenic abscess
- Splenic infarction
- Nephrolithiasis
- LLL Pneumonia
what diseases can occur with right lower quadrant pathology?
- Acute Appendicitis
- Colitis
- IBD
- Infectious colitis
- Ureteric stone/Pyelonephritis
- PID/Ovarian torsion
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Malignancy
what diseases can occur with suprapubic/central pathology?
- Early appendicitis
- Mesenteric ischaemia
- Bowel obstruction
- Bowel perforation
- Constipation
- Gastroenteritis
- UTI/Urinary retention
- PID
what diseases can occur with left lower quadrant pathology?
- Diverticulitis
- Colitis
- IBD
- Infectious colitis
- Ureteric stone/Pyelonephritis
- PID/Ovarian torsion
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Malignancy
what is the presentation of bowel ischemia?
- Sudden onset crampy abdominal pain
- Severity of pain depends on the length and thickness of colon affected
- Bloody, loose stool (currant jelly stools)
- Fever, signs of septic shock
what is the presentation of acute mesenteric ischaemia?
small bowel
usually occlusive due to thromboemboli
sudden onset (presentation and severity varies)
abdominal pain out of proportion of clinical signs
what is the presentation of ischaemic colitis?
large bowel
usually due to non-occlusive low flow states or atheroscelerosis
more mild and gradual
moderate pain and tenderness
what are the risk factors for bowel ischaemia?
- Age >65 yr
- Cardiac arrythmias (mainly AF), atherosclerosis
- Hypercoagulation/thrombophilia
- Vasculitis
- Sickle cell disease
- Profound shock causing hypotension
what investigations can be done for suspected bowel ischaemia?
bloods
imaging
endoscopy
what are the bloods seen in bowel ischaemia?
FBC: neutrophilic leukocytosis
VBG: lactic acidosis
what imaging can be done in bowel ischaemia?
- Imaging-CTAP/CT angiogram
- Detects:
- Disrupted flow
- Vascular stenosis
- ‘pneumatosis intestinalis’ (transmural ischaemia/ infarction)
- Ischaemic colitis: Thumbprint sign (unspecific sign of colitis)
- Detects:
when is endoscopy done in bowel ischaemia?
for mild/moderate cases of ischaemic colititis (oedema, cyanosis, ulceration mucosa)
what conservative management can be used for bowel ischaemia?
- Mild to moderate cases of ischaemic colitis (not suitable for Small Bowel/acute mesenteric ischaemia)
- IV fluid resuscitation
- Bowel rest (Nil by mouth)
- Broat spectrum Abx- colonic ischaemia can result in bacterial translocation & sepsis
- NG tube for decompression- in concurrent ileus
- Anticoagulation
- Treat/manage underlying cause
- Serial abdominal examination and repeat imaging
what are the indications for surgery in bowel ischaemia?
- Small bowel ischaemia
- Signs of peritonitis or sepsis
- Haemodynamic instability
- Massive bleeding
- Fulminant colitis with toxic megacolon
what surgery can be done for bowel ischaemia?
- Exploratory laparotomy
- Resection of necrotic bowel +/- open surgical embolectomy
- Or mesenteric arterial bypass
- Endovascular revascularisation
- Balloon angioplasty/ thrombectomy
- In patients without signs of ischaemia
what is the presentation of acute appendicitis?
- Initially periumbilical pain that migrates to RLQ (within 24 hrs)
- Anorexia, nausea +/- vomiting, low grade fever, change in bowel habit
- Important clinical signs
- McBurney’s point:
- Tenderness in RLQ (lateral 1/3 of a hypothetical line drawn from right ASIS to umbilicus)
- Blumberg sign
- Rebound tenderness especially in RIF
- Rovsing sign
- RLQ pain elicited on deep palpation of the LLQ
- Psoas sign
- RLQ pain elicited on flexion of right hip against resistance
- Obturator sign
- RLQ pain on passive internal rotation of the hip with hip and knee flexion
- McBurney’s point:
what blood results are present in acute appendicitis?
- FBC: neutrophilic leukocytosis
- ↑ed CRP
- Urinalysis: possible mild pyuria/haematuria
- Electrolyte imbalances in profound vomiting
what imaging is used in acute appendicitis?
- CT: gold standard in adults esp. if age > 50
- USS: children/pregnancy/breastfeeding
- MRI: in pregnancy if USS inconclusive
what is done if suspected appendicitis with persistent pain and inconclusive imaging?
diagnostic laparoscopy
how is the likelihood of appendicitis calculated?
what is the conservative management for appendicitis?
- IV fluids, analgesia, IV or PO antibiotics
- In abscess, phlegmon or sealed perforation
- Resuscitation + IV Abx +/- percutaneous drainage
- CT guided drainage
- Consider interval appendectomy- rate recurrence after conservative management of abscess/ perforation is 12-14%
what are the indications for conservative management?
- After -ve imaging in selected patients with clinically uncomplicated appendicitis
- In delayed presentation with abscess/ phlegmon formation
what surgical management is used for appendicitis?
- appendectomy
- Usually laparoscopically
- Less pain
- Lower infection
- Decreased hospital stay
- Earlier return to work
- Overall costs
- Better quality of life scores
what is a bowel obstruction?
intestinal obstruction- restriction of normal passage of intestinal contents
what are the types of bowel obstruction?
- Paralytic (adynamic) ileus
- Mechanical
how is mechanical obstruction classified?
speed of onset
site
nature
aetiology
what are the possible speed of onsets of mechanical obstruction?
acute
chronic
acute on chronic
what are the possible sites of mechanical obstruction
high or low
roughly synonymous with small or large bowel obstruction