Intestinal Pathology

Question 1

What are clinical presentations of large animals with chronic pain called?

Answer 1

Colic

Question 2

What can cause colic?

Answer 2

Torsions - Obstruction (internal or external) - Rupture

Question 3

What has occured in this image?

Answer 3

Intussusception - intestine has inverted inside itself so mucosa is touching mucosa

Question 4

What has occured in this picture?

Answer 4

Pedunculated lipoma - obstructing the intestinal tract

Question 5

What are the consequences of obstuction of upper intestinal tract?

Answer 5

Acute and severe - Fluid and gas above obstructin - Vomiting - Metabolic alkalosis - Dehydration - Reduced renal flow and uraemia

Question 6

What are the consequences of obstruction of the lower intestinal tract?

Answer 6

Less acute - Pressure from fluid an gas build up lead to ulcration, infarction, haemorrhage and peritonitis - Eventually metabolic acidosis (dehydration and catabolism of fat & muscle)

Question 7

What is normally involved in acute diarrhoea? Give examples

Answer 7

Infectious agents - Viruses (rotavirus, parvovirus) - Bacteria (campylobacter, salmonella, clostridium) - Endoparasites (cyathostomes) - Protozoa (cryptosporidiosis, coccidiosis)

Question 8

What are the 5 mechanisms of diarrhoea pathogenesis?

Answer 8

Altered epithelial cell transport - Altered structure/permability - Osmotic effects - Altered motility - Damage to colonic mucosa

Question 9

What is the difference between Rotavirus and Parvovirus infection?

Answer 9

Rotavirus causes damage to villi

Parvovirus infects crypts and causes mucosal collapse

Question 10

What has occured in this pictue? What is a possible cause?

Answer 10

Haemorrhagic ulcer - Salmonellosis

Question 11

What has occured in this photo?

Answer 11

Cyathostominosis infection (small strongyle) colonising the surface of the bowl

Question 12

What are the concequences of acute diarrhoea?

Answer 12

Loss of water (dehydration, haemoconcentration, hypovolaemic shock) - Loss of ions (hypokalaemia, metabolic acidosis)

Question 13

What can cause chronic diarrhoea/weight loss?

Answer 13

IBD (chronic enterocolitis) - Lymphangiectasia - Endoparasitism - Neoplasia - Grass sickness

Question 14

What causes a) Maldigestion b) Malabsorption

Answer 14

a) Liver - decreased bile secretion or obstruction of biliary flow OR Pancreas - decreased enzymes (exocrine pancreatic insufficiency)
b) Intestine - decreased surface area for absorption (villous atrophy or resection of bowel segments)

Question 15

What causes protein losing enteropathy?

Answer 15

Increased permability to plasma proteins which are lost to intestinal lumen - Chronic inflammation causing lymphatic blockage

Question 16

What is the main protein lost in protein-losing enteropathy? What does this lead to?

Answer 16

Albumin - Hypoalbuminaemia - decreased osmotic pressure = oedema and ascites

Question 17

What is IBD?

Answer 17

Inflammatory bowel disease - syndrome associated with persistent bowel inflammation

Question 18

What are the subdivisions of IBD?

Answer 18

Eosinophilic enteritis - Lymphoplasmacytic enteritis

Question 19

Here are two images of IBD. Which is which subdivision?

Answer 19

Lymphoplasmacytic - left

Eosinophilic - right

Question 20

What three problems can endoparasitism cause? Give an example in each case

Answer 20

Malabsorption (cyasthostominosis) - Obstruction (ascariasis) - Vascular compromise (large strongyle disease)

Question 21

What is the acute presentation of grass sickness?

Answer 21

Nasogastric reflux - Oesophageal ulceration - Gastric dilation and rupture