HPB Flashcards
Causes of pre-hepatic jaundice?
Haemolytic anaemia
Gilbert’s syndrome
Criggler-Najjar Syndrome
Causes of hepatocellular jaundice?
Alcoholic liver disease Viral hepatitis Iatrogenic eg medication Hereditary haemochromatosis Autoimmune hepatitis Primary biliary cirrhosis and primary sclerosis cholangitis Hepatocellular carcinoma
Causes of post-hepatic jaundice?
Intra-luminal causes eg gallstones
Mural causes eg cholangiocarcinoma, strictures, drug induced cholestasis
Extramural causes eg pancreatic cancer or abnormal masses (eg lymphomas)
How does observing the colour of urine and stool predict the type of jaundice present?
Conjugated bilirubin can be excreted via urine as it is water soluble, whereas unconjugated cannot. Dark urine is therefore in conjugated or mixed hyperbilirubinaemia.
Pale stools - obstructive jaundice due to reduced levels of stercobilin entering GI tract.
Blood Investigations for jaundice?
LFTs Coagulation studies FBC and U&Es ALP Gamma-GT Albumin
LFT results for pre-hepatic jaundice? (bilirubin, ALT/AST, ALP)
Bilirubin - normal or high
ALT/AST - normal
ALP - normal
LFT results for hepatic jaundice?
Bilirubin - high
ALT/AST - elevated
ALP - elevated
LFT results for post-hepatic jaundice?
Bilirubin - high to very high
ALT/AST - moderate elevation
ALP - High to very high
What is Gamma-GT a good marker of?
Biliary obstruction
What is the AST:ALT ratio for alcoholic liver disease and for viral hepatitis?
Alcoholic liver disease - AST/ALT >2
Viral hepatitis - AST:ALT around 1
Imaging investigations for jaundice?
First-line - US abdomen
MRCP - used to visualise biliary tree, typically performed if jaundice is obstructive but US was inconclusive.
Liver biopsy - when diagnosis has not been made despite above investigations
Management for jaundice?
Depends on underlying cause.
Obstructive causes may require ERCP to remove stones or stenting of CBD.
Symptomatic treatment - cholestyramine, anti-histamine.
Coagulopathy - may need vitamin K, FFP etc.
Hepatic encephalopathy - lactulose +/- rifaximin
Features, investigations and management of simple liver cysts?
Normally asymptomatic. Symptoms include abdominal pain, nausea, early satiety.
Ix -> LFTs normal, may have raised GGT. US remains modality of choice.
Management:
No intervention usually.
>4cm in size, follow-up US scans needed.
If symptomatic, US-guided aspiration or lap de-roofing.
What is polycystic liver disease and what is it caused by?
Presence of >=20 cysts within liver parenchyma, each of which are >=1cm in size.
Caused by either Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) or Autosomal dominant polycystic liver disease (ADPLD)
Features, investigations and management of polycystic liver disease?
Asymptomatic, abdo pain. If large enough, can cause liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension.
Normal LFTs, U&Es can be affected if have renal cysts too.
US imaging is definitive.
If asymptomatic, leave alone and monitor.
Somatostatin analogues can give symptomatic relief by reducing cyst volume.
Indications for surgery -> intractable symptoms, inability to rule out malignancy on imaging alone, prevention of malignancy.
US-guided aspiration
Lap de-roofing of cysts.
Features of cystic neoplasms of liver?
Rare, <5% of liver cysts.
Most common are cystadenomas. They are premalignant.
Asymptomatic. Abdo pain, anorexia, nausea, fullness, bloating.
Investigations and management of cystic neoplasms of liver?
LFTs normal.
CT imaging with contrast.
Aspiration biopsy should be avoided.
Liver lobe resection is treatment of choice.
What are hyatid cysts of the liver and what are the features?
Results from infection by tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus.
Asymptomatic for many years. Vague abdominal pain caused by mass effect on surrounding structures or due to rupture.
Jaundice or cholangitis, vomiting, dyspepsia and early satiety
Investigations and management of hyatid cysts?
LFTs are normal. FBC - eosinophilia. Echinococcal antibody titres positive. USS will reveal calcified, spherical lesion with multiple septations. CT with contrast for further assessment.
Surgical management - cyst deroofing.
Anti-microbials - albendazole, mebendazole +/- praziquantel.
Causes and Features of liver abscess?
Cholecystitis, cholangitis, diverticulitis, appendicitis, septicaemia.
Most common organisms are E. coli, K. pneumonia, S. constellatus.
Fever, riggers, abdominal pain. Bloating, nausea, anorexia, weight loss, fatigue, jaundice.
RUQ tenderness +/- hepatomegaly. shock if rupture.
Investigations of liver abscess?
FBC - leucocytosis
LFT - abnormal, raised ALP and deranged ALT and bilirubin.
Blood cultures
USS - shows poor defined lesions and hypo- and hyper-echoic areas with gas bubbles and septations.
CT with contrast.
Management of liver abscess?
Appropriate abx
Image-guided aspiration of abscess.
Features of amoebic abscess?
Most common extra-intestinal manifestation of amebiasis infection.
Vague abdo pain, nausea, fever, riggers, weight loss, bloating.
Suspected in recent travel history.
Investigations and management of amoebic abscess?
Leucocytotis and deranged LFTs.
Blood cultures.
Stool sample - E. Histolytica antibodies.
USS - poor-defined lesions which can be further characterised by CT imaging.
Abx - metronidazole.
Risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma?
Viral hepatitis - B and C High alcohol intake Smoking Age >70 Primary biliary cirrhosis Haemochromatosis Aflatoxin exposure Family history of liver disease
Features of hepatocellular carcinoma?
Vague symptoms - fatigue, fever, weight loss and lethargy.
Dull ache in RUQ uncommon but is characteristic.
Liver failure symptoms - ascites and jaundice.
Irregular, enlarged, craggy and tender liver on palpation.
Investigations and staging of hepatocellular carcinoma?
LFTs - deranged.
Platelets - low
Prolonged clotting
Alpha fetoprotein - raised in 70% of cases.
USS - if mass >2cm with raised AFP, virtually diagnostic.
CT/MRI scan for further evaluation.
If still in doubt - biopsy or percutaneous FNA
Staging - Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer staging.
Risk assessment - Child-Pugh and MELD scores - risk of mortality from cirrhosis.
Management of hepatocellular carincoma?
Surgical - resection if no cirrhosis and good health status (early disease)
Transplantation - if fulfil Milan criteria.
Non-surgical:
- image-guided ablation
- ultrasound probes
- alcohol ablation
- trans arterial chemoembolisation (TACE) - infect high conc of chemotherapy into hepatic artery and embolising agent added to induce ischaemia.
Which cancers metastasise to liver commonly?
Breast, pancreas, stomach, lung
Causes of acute pancreatitis?
Gallstones Ethanol Trauma Steroids Mumps Autoimmune disease, SLE Scorpion venom Hypercalcaemia ERCP Drugs - azathioprine, NSAIDs, diuretics