General Surgery in GI Tract Flashcards
What investigations could be carried out?
(depending on presentation):
- Bloods: VBG, FBC, CRP, U&Es (renal profile), LFTs +amylase
- Urinalysis + Urine MC&S
- Imaging: Erect CXR, AXR, CTAP, CT angiogram, USS
- Endoscopy
What could the management involve?
- ABCDE approach
- Conservative management
- Surgical management
What are some differential diagnosis in the right upper quadrant?
- Bilary Colic
- Cholecystitis/Cholangitis
- Duodenal Ulcer
- Liver abscess
- Portal vein thrombosis
- Acute hepatitis
- Nephrolithiasis
- RLL pneumonia
What are some differential diagnosis in the lower upper quadrant?
- Peptic ulcer
- Acute pancreatitis
- Splenic abscess
- Splenic infarction
- Nephrolithiasis
- LLL Pneumonia
What are some differential diagnosis in the right lower quadrant?
- Acute Appendicitis
- Colitis
- IBD
- Infectious colitis
- Ureteric stone/Pyelonephritis
- PID/Ovarian torsion
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Malignancy
What are some differential diagnosis in the left lower quadrant?
- Diverticulitis
- Colitis
- IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease)
- Infectious colitis
- Ureteric stone/Pyelonephritis
- PID/Ovarian torsion
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Malignancy
What are some differential diagnosis in the epigastrum quadrant?
- Acute gastritis/GORD
- Gastroparesis
- Peptic ulcer disease/perforation
- Acute pancreatitis
- Mesenteric ischaemia
- AAA (Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm)
- Aortic dissection
- Myocardial infarction
What are some differential diagnosis in the suprapubic/central quadrant?
- Early appendicitis
- Mesenteric ischaemia
- Bowel obstruction
- Bowel perforation
- Constipation
- Gastroenteritis
- UTI/Urinary retention
- PID
What is the presentation of bowel iscahemia?
- 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 are the risk factors of bowel ischaemia?
- Age >65 yr
- Cardiac arrythmias (mainly AF), atherosclerosis
- Hypercoagulation/thrombophilia
- Vasculitis
- Sickle cell disease
- Profound shock causing hypotension
What bloods do you investigate for bowel ischaemia?
- FBC: neutrophilic leukocytosis
* VBG: Lactic acidosis
What would you look for on imaging (CTAP/CT angiogram) when investigating bowel ischaemia?
- Disrupted flow
- Vascular stenosis
- ‘Pneumatosis intestinalis’ (transmural ischaemia/infarction)
- Ischaemic colitis: Thumbprint sign (unspecific sign of colitis)
What would be investigated using endoscopy in bowel ischaemia?
•For mild or moderate cases of ischaemic colitis ( you would see oedema, cyanosis, ulceration of mucosa)
What would be signs in acute mesenteric ischaemia?
- Small bowel
- usually occlusive due to thromboemobli
- Sudden onset (but presentation and severity varies)
- Abdominal pain out of proportion of clinical signs
What would be the signs of ischaemia colitis?
- Large bowel
- usually due to non-occlusive low flow states, or atherosclerosis
- More mild and gradual (80-85% of cases)
- Moderate pain and tenderness
What is the conservative management of bowel ischaemia for mild to moderate cases of ischaemic colitis (not suitable for SB ischaemia)?
- IV fluid resuscitation
- Bowel rest
- Broad-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 of surgical management for bowel ischaemia?
- Small bowel ischaemia
- Signs of peritonitis orsepsis
- Haemodynamic instability
- Massive bleeding
- Fulminant colitis with toxic megacolon
What would exploratory laparotomy for bowel ischameia involve?
• Resection of necrotic bowel +/-open surgicalembolectomy
or mesenteric arterial bypass
What would endovascular revascularisation for bowel ischameia involve?
- Balloon angioplasty/thrombectomy
* In patients without signs of ischaemia
What is the presentation for acute appendicitis?
- Initially periumbilical pain that migrates to RLQ (within 24hours)
- Anorexia, nausea +/- vomiting, low grade fever, change in bowel habit
What is McBurney’s point?
tenderness in the RLQ (lateral 1/3 of a hypothetical line drawn from the right ASIS to the umbilicus)
What is Blumberg sign?
rebound tenderness especially in the RIF
What is Rovsing sign?
RLQ pain elicited on deep palpation of the LLQ
What is Psoas sign?
RLQ pain elicited on flexion of right hip against resistance
What is obtruator sign?
RLQ pain on passive internal rotation of the hip with hip & knee flexion
What bloods do you order for acute appendicitis investigations?
- FBC: neutrophilic leukocytosis
- ↑ed CRP
- Urinalysis: possible mild pyuria/haematuria
- Electrolyte imbalances in profound vomiting
What imaging do you order for acute appendicitis investigations?
- CT: gold standard in adults esp. if age > 50
- USS: children/pregnancy/breastfeeding
- MRI: in pregnancy if USS inconclusive
When do you use diagnostic laparoscopy for acute appendictis?
In persistent pain & inconclusive imaging
What does conservative management of acute appendicitis consist of?
•IV Fluids, Analgesia, IV or PO Antibiotics
•In abscess, phlegmon or sealed perforation
-Resuscitation + IV ABx +/- percutaneous drainage
What are the indications for conservative management of acute appendicitis?
•After negative imaging in selected patients with clinically uncomplicated appendicitis
•In delayed presentation with abscess/phlegmon formation
-CT-guided drainage
-Want to decrease treat and then come later for elective appendix removed
When do you consider interval appendicectomy?
rate of recurrence after conservative management of abscess/perforation is 12-24%
Why is laparscopic surgical management of acute appendicitis better than open appendectomy?
- Less pain
- Lower incidence of surgical site infection
- ↓ed length of hospital stay
- Earlier return to work
- Overall costs
- Better quality of life scores
What are the steps of laparoscopic appendicectomy?
- Trocar placement (usually 3)
- Exploration of RIF & identification of appendix
- Elevation of appendix + division of mesoappendix (containing artery)
- Based secured with endoloops and appendix is divided
- Retrieval of appendix with a plastic retrieval bag
- Careful inspection of the rest of the pelvic organs/intestines
- Pelvic irrigation (wash out) + Haemostasis
- Removal of trocars + wound closure