ICR-Final Flashcards
Greatest challenge swallowing with liquid, coughing immediately after swallowing, often associated with neurological disease (stroke, MS)
Oropharyngeal dysphagia
Treating oropharyngeal dysphagia
Refer to speech pathology for modified barium swallow
Food gets stuck with solids and liquids several seconds after swallowing
Esophageal dysphagia.
Differential for esophageal dysphagia with solids only? With liquids and solids?
Solids only: rings, webs, EoE, peptic stricture, esophageal cancer. Both: diffuse esophageal spasm, scleroderma, achalasia

Where is food typically getting stuck when patients point to the region they think it is getting stuck?
There or lower
Red flags for patients with dysphagia
Food impaction, weight loss, history of heavy tobacco/alcohol use, dysphagia itself is a red flag with heartburn
Patient sitting in waiting room spitting into a cup because they can’t swallow
Food impaction
2 main assessments of esophagus in patients with dysphagia
Barium esophagram (diagnostic only, less invasive) or upper endoscopy (diagnostic & therapeutic = 1st choice)
What pushes you towards doing a barium esophagram over upper endoscopy?
Endoscopy is not available. Patient has too many comorbidities.
When would you consider doing esophageal manometry?
Anatomic evaluation checks out normal and you suspect a motility disorder.
How do you treat this?

Schatzki rings occur near the GE junction and respond well to esophageal dilation.
How do you confirm this diagnosis?

This is eosinophilic esophagitis, note the eosinophilic microabscesses on the esophageal wall and concentric rings. This is diagnosed by biopsy w/15-20 Eos per high power field.
How do patients with EoE typically present first and how do you first manage them?
1st: intermittent dysphagia. Treat w/PPI, then if that doesn’t work you treat with topical steroids.
How do you diagnose and treat this patient?

This patient has an esophageal web, which responds extremely well to esophageal dilation.
What type of dysphagia will this patient present with?

Progressive solid food dysphagia. This is a peptic stricture from long standing GERD that has damaged the mucosal lining of the esophagus.
Which of these is esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and which is esophageal adenocarcinoma? What are associations with each? Where do they typically arise?

Top: SSC, associated w/African American and tobacco/alcohol use. Typically occurs mid esophagus. Bottom: Adenocarcinoma, associated with Barrett esophagus, GERD, older white men. Typically occurs distal esophagus.
What would you expect to see on esophageal manometry in a patient with diffuse esophageal spasm? What about on barium swallow?
Peristalsis and contraction all at the same time. Barium swallow = corkscrew esophagus.

What would you expect to see on esophageal manometry in a patient with achalasia?
No peristalsis and no LES relaxation. ON imaging you would see the bird beak.

List 5 causes of odynophagia
Secondary to mucosal break/ulcer, infection (HSV, CMV, Candida = white plaques), pills (kissing ulcers), caustic agent (diffuse, circumferential injury), radiation

How do ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease differ in symptoms, colon involvement, small bowel involvement and perforating/stricture disease?
*

How do you evaluate a patent with IBD?
Labs may show anemia and elevated inflammatory markers. Endoscopy is essential for diagnosis and imaging can help.
Endoscopy findings in ulcerative colitis?
Granular, erythematous and bleeds w/mild trauma

Endoscopy findings in Crohn’s disease?
Edematous mucosa w/linear ulcerations

A patient presents with a burning/gnawing epigastric pain. Physical exam reveals epigastric tenderness. He has a long history of NSAID use for arthritis. How do you evaluate and treat this patient?
He is at risk for peptic ulcer disease. You can “test and treat” by stopping NSAIDs and checking H. pylori status. You could do upper endoscopy or upper GI series. Check CBC to see if BUN is elevated to assess for bleeding. Check AAS (acute abdominal series) if concerned for bleeding.





















