ICL 12.3: Acute Chronic Pancreatitis Including Pancreatic Insufficiency Flashcards
what is the pancreas?
the pancreas is a soft, elongated, flattened gland that is 12 to 20 cm in length
the adult gland weighs between 70 and 110 g
what is acute pancreatitis? which cells are effected?
it’s not one organ inflammation! it can be systemic which is why it’s so important to deal with it quickly and effectively
it’s an inflammatory process arising in the exocrine pancreas with variable involvement of peripancreatic tissues and other organ systems
severity can be mild to severe with multi-organ failure and high rates of morbidity and mortality
the inflammation is usually effecting the parenchyma of the pancreas; specifically the acinar cells –> with chronic pancreatitis, the acinar and islet Langerhans cells can be effected!
what is the pathophysiology of acute pancreatitis?
- parenchyma is effected; specifically acinar cells
- duct itself can be blocked like with stones
- defective intracellular transport
so basically there’s insult to the pancreas whether that be stones, alcohol, drugs, trauma etc. that causes injury to the acinar cells –> this leads to local inflammation,> this leads to systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) –> multiple organ dusfunction syndrome (MODS)
the inflammation can be systemic because the inflammatory chemokines can be spread throughout the whole body via capillaries and veins
how do you diagnose acute pancreatitis?
you need 2/3 of these criteria:
- abdominal pain consistent with the disease
- serum amylase and/or lipase > 3 times the upper limit of normal
- abnormal imaging (CT or MRI) showing characteristic findings of pancreatitis
pain is also usually in the upper abdomen, rebound tenderness, no guarding
what kind of abdominal pain do you see with acute pancreatitis?
- upper abdominal pain, increases over several hours
- pain is persistent & moderate to severe
- radiates to the back in 50% cases
- 5-10% cases are painless
- 90% cases have nausea and vomiting
- guarding and tenderness (may be less than expected) & abdominal rigidity unusual
- bowel sounds diminished to absent
- abdominal ecchymosis <1%, poor prognosis
what are the 2 signs of acute pancreatitis?
- Cullen’s sign
bruising around the belly button
- Grey Turner’s sign
bruising at the flank
what serum amylase changes do you see with acute pancreatitis?
may be normal in alcohol-induced AP and ↑TG because there isn’t a lot of viable tissues and they’re fibrotic
but it may also be HIGH in patients without pancreatitis:
- macroamylasemia
- low GFR
- diseases of the salivary glands
- acute appendicitis
- cholecystitis
- intestinal obstruction or ischemia
- peptic ulcer
- gynecological diseases
what serum lipase changes do you see with acute pancreatitis?
more specific, remains elevated longer
elevated in:
1. renal disease
- appendicitis
- cholecystitis
- ectopic pregnancy
should you get a CT scan/MRI in acute pancreatitis?
routine use is unwarranted because of high radiation and the contrast can even further irritate the pancreas
only do it if there’s an unclear diagnosis or failing to improve in 48-72 hours
but CT scans/MRIs can make an official diagnosis and show how severe it is and detect complications
contrast won’t be taken up by pancreas the pancreas won’t be white in acute pancreatitis because there’s a lot of edema
what is the progression of acute pancreatitis?
day 1 = interstitial pancreatitis –> inflammation in the pancreas but not that bad
day 3 = necrotizing pancreatitis –> higher infection, tissue isn’t viable, potential systemic complications
day 7 = infected necrosis –> clinical deterioration, gas in collection, gram stain/culture
you DONT give antibiotics with acute pancreatitis; you only do it if they have signs of infection aka infected necrosis
what are the local vs systemic manifestations of acute pancreatitis?
LOCAL
1. pancreatic ischemia
- pancreatic necrosis
- peripancreatic fluid collection
SYSTEMIC
1. systemic circulation failure
- organ failure
what are the causes of acute pancreatitis?
- alcohol*
- biliary stones*
- other: “GET SMASHED”
- idiopathic
what is the mneuominc for causes of acute pancreatitis?
GET SMASHED
Ⓖall stones*
Ⓔthanol*
Ⓣrauma*
Ⓢurgical (post-operative), scorpion sting
Ⓜumps and cosackie (viruses), malignancy
Ⓐutoimmune
ⓈPINK-1, PRSS1 mutation
Ⓗypertriglyceridemia, hypercalcemia, hypothermia
ⒺRCP
Ⓓrugs = corticosteroids thiazides, valproate, azathioprine, estrogen, sulfonamides, tetracycline, 6-MP, anti-HIV drugs
who gets biliary pancreatitis?
aka gallstone pancreatitis
more common in women than men
small stones are more common than large because they can get through the cystic duct
what are the clinical indications someone has biliary pancreatitis?
- elevated LFTs
2. biliary dilation