Hepatobiliary Flashcards
Remind yourself of some pre-, intra- and post-hepatic causes of jaundice
State some potential causes of pancreatitis- highlighting the two most common
*HINT: GET SMASHED
- Gallstones
- Ethanol (alcohol)
- Trauma
- Steroids
- Mumps
- Autoimmune disease e.g. SLE
- Scorpionn venom (RARE)
- Hypercalcaemia/hyperlipidaemia
- ERCP
- Drugs e.g. azathioprine, NSAIDs, furosemide, thiazides
Discuss the pathophysiology of acute pancreatitis
- Causes stated in previous FC trigger premature & exaggerated activation of pancreatic digestive enzymes
- Results in inflammatory response in pancreas
- This increases vascular permeability
- Leading to both subsequent fluids shifts (3rd spacing) and teh release of pancreatic enzymes into systemic circulation
- Release into systemic circulation causes autodigestion offats and blood vessels (may lead to haemorrhage)
- Fat necrosis releases fatty acids which thenr eact with serum calcium to form chalky deposits in fatty tissue resulting in hypocalcaemia
- Severe end stage pancreatitis will evetnually result in partial or complete necrosis of pancrea
Describe the clinical presentation of acute pancreatitis
Acute onset of:
- Severe epigastric pain
- Pain radiates to back
- Associated vomiting
- Abdo tenderness
- Systemically unwell (low grade fever, tachycardia)]
- Cullen’s & Grey Turners sign
- Tetany due to hypocalcaemia
- Jaundice (if gallstone pathology causing obstructive jaundice)
Cullen’s and Grey Turner’s are rare signs; what do they represent?
Retroperitoneal bleeding
What investigations may you do if you suspect acute pancreatitis?
Clinical diagnosis based mainly on presenting features & amylase levels.
Bedside
- Plasma glucose: quickly get blood glucose
- ABG: PaO2 and blood glucose (need both for Glasgow score)
Bloods
- FBC: raised WCC
- U&Es: raised urea due to fluid loss
- LFTs: liver enzymes
- CRP: inflammation
- Calcium: check for hypocalcaemia
- Serum amylase
- Serum lipase: elevated for longer than serum amylase but not routinely available
Imaging
- Ultrasound:if suspect gallstones
- Contrast CT abdomen: asses for complications of pancreatitis. Only required if complications suspected
A serum of amylase of ____ x upper limit of normal is diagnostic of acute pancreatitis
3x
Serum amylase correlates directly with disease activity in pancreatitis; true or false?
FALSE
What score is used to assess severity of acute pancreatitis?
State some factors that are used in the score
**HINT: PANCREAS
Glasgow criteria/score
Should be used within first 48hrs of admission and any pt scoring =/>3 should be considered to have severe pancreatitis and HDU care referral is warranted. Factors assessed include:
Discuss the management of acute pancreatitis
Pts can become very unwell rapidly so need careful assessment and monitoring. Use Glasgow score to see if pt needs hDU or ICU management.
Treatment is supportive and trying to treat underlying cause if known:
- IV fluids
- Analgesia (opiod)
- Oxygen if required
- Antiemetic e.g IM ondansetron
- Encourage to eat & drink if can tolerate. Consider NG tube if cannot eat
- Catheterisation to allow careful fluid balance monitoring
- Abx if evidence if confirmed pancreatic necrosis (as prophylaxis) or if evidence of infection
- Treatment of underlying cause e.g. cholecystectomy or ERCP for gallstone pancreatitis
- Treatmen of complications
How long does it take for most acute pancreatitis pts to improve?
3-7 days
State some potential complications of acute pancreatitis
Systemic complications
- DIC
- ARDS
- Hypocalcaemia
- Hyperglycaemia
Local complications
- Necrosis of pancreas +/- infection of necrotic area
- Abscess formation
- Pseudocysts
- Chronic pancreatitis
When should you suspect pancreatic necrosis as a complication of acute pancreatitis?
What investigations would you do?
How would you mange this?
- Pt with persistent systemic inflammation for more than7-10 days after onset
- Confirm pancreatic necrosis by CT. Fine needle aspiration of necrosis can give definitive diagnosis of infected pancreatic necrosis
- Pancreatic necrosectomy (generally do this 3-5 weeks after diagnosis to allow walled-off necrosis to develop)
What is a pancreatic pseudocyst?
How do they present?
What are they prone to?
Discuss the managment
- Collection of flid containing pancreatic enzymes, blod & necrotis tissue; can occur anywhere within or adjacent to pancreas. Commonly in lesser sac
- May be found incidentally or present with symptoms of mass effect e.g. biliary obstruction, gastric outlet obstruction
- Haemorrhage & infection
- 50% resolve spontaenously. If not resolved in 6 weeks unlikely to hence do surgical debridement or endoscopic drainage
What is chronic pancreatitis?
State some risk factors
- Chronic inflammation of pancreas leading to fibrosis and reduced function of pancreatic tissue. Damage is irreversible.
- Most common causes:
- Chronic alcohol abuse (60%)
- Idipathic (30%)
Discuss the presentation of chronic pancreatitis
- Chronic pain
- Epigastric
- Radiate to back
- Associated nausea & vomiting
- Endocrine insufficiency
- Impaired gluose regulation
- DM
- Exocrine insufficiency leading to malabsorption
- Weight loss
- Steatorrhoea
- Diarrhoea
- Signs of cachexia & malabsorption
- Biliary obstruction or gastric outlet obstruction due to pseudocysts (often present)
What investigations should you do if you supect chronic pancreatitis?
Bedside
- Plasma glucose
- Faecal elastase test
Bloods
- FBC
- U&Es
- LFTs
- Serum amylase: not often raised
- Serum lipase: not often raised
Imaging
- CT abdomen & pelvis: can show atrophy, calcification and if any pseudocysts present
- Ultrasound: anatomy of biliary tree & pancreas
- MRCP: anatomy of biliary tree & pancreas
*Reduced faecal elastase & CT are used to confirm diagnosis
Discuss the management of chronic pancreatitis
- Treat any reversible underlying cause
- E.g. abstinence from alcohol
- E.g. statin for hyperlipidaemia
- Anaglesia
- WHO pain ladder
- In long term may replace opiods with neuropathhic analgesia instead
- Pancreatic enzyme replacement
- E.g. Creon
- Fat soluble vitamine supplements
- Insulin if diabetic
- ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) for stone removal, stent insertion etc to treat obstruction to biliary system & pancreatic duct
- Surgery (RARE due to high morbidity & mortality); may be done if:
- Abscesses
- Pseudocyts
- Obstruction of biliary system & pancreatic duct
- Sever chronic pain (drain ducts & remove inflammed tissue)
If a pt has had chronic pancreatitis for 20yrs or more what are they at risk of?
Pancreatic malignancy
Remind yourself of components of bile
*bile salts= products of Hb metabolism
Remind yourself of the anatomy of the biliary tree
The right hepatic duct and left hepatic duct leave the liver and join together to become the common hepatic duct. The cystic duct from the gallbladder joins the common hepatic duct halfway along. The pancreatic duct from the pancreas joins with the common hepatic duct further along. When the common bile duct and the pancreatic duct join they become the ampulla of Vater, which then opens into the duodenum. The sphincter of Oddi is a ring of muscle surrounding the ampulla of Vater that controls the flow of bile and pancreatic secretions into the duodenum.
Remind yourself of the following definitions:
- Cholestasis
- Cholelithiasis
- Choledocholithiasis
- Biliary colic
- Cholecystitis
- Cholangitis
- Gallbladder empyema
- Cholecystectomy
- Cholecystostomy
What are gallstones?
What are most gallstones made from?
State some potential complications of gallstones
- Stones that form within the gallbladder as a result of supersation of bile
- Most= cholesterol
- Gallstones can be/cause:
- Asymptomatic
- Biliary colic
- Acute cholecystitis
- Ascedning cholangitis
- Pancreatitis
State the 3 different possible compositions of gallstones
All formed from supersaturation of bile:
- Cholesterol stones
- Pigment stones (commonly seen in those with haemolytic anaemia)
- Mixed stones
State some risk factors for gallstones
*HINT: 5 F’s
- Fat
- Female
- Fertile
- Forty
- Family history
For biliary colic, ,discuss:
- What it is
- Presentation
- Why pts advised to avoid fatty foods
- Stones temporarily obstructing the drainage of gallbladder; may be lodged in neck of gallbladder or in cystic duct. When it falls back into gallbladder symptoms resolve. Pain occurs when get contraction of gallbladder.
- Presentation:
- Severe, sudden, dull & colikcy epigastric or RUQ pain
- May radiate to back
- Triggerd by consumptoinof meals (particularly fatty ones)
- Last between 30mins-8hrs
- Associated nausea & vomiting
- Fatty acids stimulate CCK secretion from dodenum; CCK triggers contraction of gallballder leading to biliary colic
For acute cholecystitis, discuss:
- What it is including pathophysiology
- Presentation
- Inflammation of gallbladder due to blockage of cystic duct preventing gallbladder from emptying. 95% caused by gallstones being permanently lodged in either gallbladder neck or cystic duct
- Presentation:
- RUQ pain
- Pain may radiate to R shoulder
- Fever
- Nausea & vomiting
- Tachycardia
- Tachypnoea
- RUQ tenderness
- Murphy’s sign positive
- Raised CRP & WCC
If cholecystitis is caused by gallstones what can it be termed?
Calculous cholecystitis
What is acalculous cholecystitis?
Inflammation of gallbladder in which the dysfunction in gallbladder emptying is caused by something other than gallstones e.g.
- TPN or long periods of fasting- gallbladder not stimulated by food to regularly empty so pressure builds up
What is Murphy’s sign?
- Place hand in RUQ and apply pressure
- Ask pt to take deep breath in
- Gallbladder will move downwards and come into contact with hand
- If inflamed gallbladder touches hand pt will be in acute pain and stop inspiration
- Murphy’s sign positive is when there is a halt in inspiration due to pain
*Sonographic Murphy sign= doing Murphy’s test under USS- more accurate
What investigations would you do if you suspect biliary colic or acute cholecystitis?
*For each of the blood tests state what you would expect results to be in a.) biliary colic b.) acute cholecystitis
Bedside
- Urine dipstick: rule out renal pathology
- Pregnancy test: abdo pain any woman child bearing
Bloods
- FBC: raised WCC in cholecystitis
- LFTs: both biliary colic and acute cholecystitis likely to show raised ALP but ALT and bilirubin should stay in normal range
- Amylase: rule out pancreatitis
- CRP: raised in cholecystitis
Imaging
- Ultrasound biliary tree: first line. Do MRCP if inconclusive
- MRCP (magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography)= GOLD STANDARD
- ERCP: largely replaced by MRCP for diagnostic purposes. Main indication is to clear stones.
- CT scan abdomen pelvis: used to look for complications e.g. abscesses or perforation
What might you find on USS of biliary tree if there is gallstone pathology?
- Stones or sludge in gallbladder
- Increased thickness of gallbladder wall (IF INFLAMMATION therefore not in biliary colic but would see in acute cholecystitis)
- Bile duct dilation
- Fluid around gallbladder