Liver & Idiot friends Flashcards
What are examples of pancreatic exocrine secretions?
Acinar cells release:
Amylase,
Lipase,
colipase,
phospholipase
proteases (trypsinogen, chymotrypsinogen)
What are examples of pancreatic endocrine secretions? What cells are responsible?
Endocrine component is in the form of the pancreatic islets of Langerhans
Alpha cell - glucagon
Beta cell - insulin
D cell - somatostatin
PP cells - pancreatic polypeptide
Enterochrommaffin cells - serotonin
What are causes of acute pancreatitis?
IGETSMASHED
Idiopathic Gallstones (60%) Ethanol (30%) Trauma Steroids Mumps Autoimmune Scorpion Venom Hyperlipidaemia ERCP Drugs (azathioprine, furosemide,corticosteroids)
How would acute pancreatitis present?
differential for anyone with upper abdo pain
gradual or sudden severe epigastric or central abdo pain that radiates to the back
- sitting forward may relieve
Anorexia, nausea and vomiting Tachycardia Fever Jaundice Dehydration Hypotension Abdominal guarding and tenderness
Cullen’s sign - periumbilical ecchymosis
Grey Turner’s sign - Left flank bruising
How would you investigate acute pancreatitis?
serum lipase/amylase - 3 times the upper limit of the normal
aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase - 3x upper limit of normal
FBC - leucocytosis
CRP
haematocrit - indicator of severity
ABG
Abdo plain film
What can be used to assess severity of acute pancreatitis?
APACHE II (acute physiology and chronic health evaluation)
How would you manage acute pancreatitis?
Iv fluids Morhpine/fentanyl nutritional support supplementary oxygen ondansetron calcium gluconate magnesium sulfate insulin
with gall stones - cholecystectomy
ERCP
alcohol induced - counselling + alcohol withdrawal prophylaxis
infected pancreatic necrosis - IV abx (imipenem), catheter drainage, necrosectomy
What is a major concern for a patient with acute pancreatitis? What criteria would you look out for?
Systemic Inflammatory response syndrome (sepsis syndrome)
tachycardia > 90 bpm
tachypnoea > 20bpm
pyrexia >38 degrees
high white cell count
What are the causes of chronic pancreatitis?
long-term alcohol excess
chronic kidney disease
defects in trypsinogen gene
cystic fibrosis
autoimmune pancreatitis
trauma
recurrent acute pancreatitis
How does chronic pancreatitis present?
epigastric pain that bores through to the back (relieved by sitting forward)
exarcebated by alcohol
N&V
exocrine dysfunction - malabsorption, weight loss, diarrhoea, steatorrhoea, protein deficiency
endocrine dyfunction - diabetes
How would you investigate chronic pancreatitis?
blood glucose - glucose intolerance/diabetes
CT scan - pancreatic calcifications
Abdo USS -
Abdo Xray
how would you manage chronic pancreatitis?
analgesia
pancreatin + omeprazole
enteral feeding
octreotide
What are the functions of the liver?
Glucose and fat metabolism
Detox and excretion : bilirubin, ammonia, drugs/hormones/pollutants
Protein synthesis : albumin, clotting factors
Defence against infection : reticulo-endothelial system
What is ALT an indicator of?
found in high concentration within hepatocytes - useful marker of hepatocellular injury
What is ALP an indicator of?
concentrated in the liver, bile duct and bone tissues
often raised in liver due to increased synthesis in response to cholestasis
What could cause an isolated rise in ALP?
bony metastases/primary bone tumours
vit d deficiency
recent bone fractures
renal osteodystrophy
When would you review GGT? What is it an indicator of?
When ALP raised = review GGT
raised GGT = biliary epithelial damage and bile flow obstruction, also raised in response to alcohol and drugs such a phenytoin
raised GGT + ALP = highly suggestive of cholestasis
What is indicative of, if patient if jaundiced but ALT and ALP levels are normal?
isolated rise in bilirubin suggestive of pre-hepatic cause of jaundice
gilberts syndrome
hemolysis
If patient is jaundiced, but normal urine and normal stools? What does this mean?
Pre-hepatic cause
as unconjugated bilirubin is water-soluble and wont affect urine or stools
If patient is jaundiced, but dark urine and normal stools ? What does this mean?
hepatic cause
If patient has dark urine and pale stools? What does this mean?
post-hepatic (obstructive)
bile and pancreatic lipases can’t reach fat = steatorrhoea
What are some causes of decreased albumin?
liver disease e.g. cirrhosis
Inflammation triggering an acute phase response = reduced albumin production
Protein-losing enteropathies or nephrotic syndrome
What does the ALT/AST ratio show?
ALT>AST seen in chronic liver disease
AST>ALT seen in cirrhosis and acute alcoholic hepatitis
What is biliary colic? How would you describe it?
Pain associate with temporary obstruction of the cystic or common bile duct by a stone migrating from the gall bladder
Pain is of sudden onset, severe but constant and has a crescendo characteristic
What is cholecystitis?
gallbladder inflammation
What are some risk factors for gall stones?
- obesity and rapid weight loss
- diet high in animal fat and low in fibre
- diabetes mellitus
- contraceptive pill
- liver cirrhosis
- multiparity
- smoking
What are they types of gallstones? Which more common
Cholesterol gallstone (80%)
Bile pigment stones
What are the causes of cholesterol gallstones?
cholesterol crystallisation in bile which has an excess of cholesterol
- relative deficiency in bile salts and phospholipids
- excess cholesterol in diabetes or high cholesterol diet
other causes
- reduced gallbladder motility and stasis (pregnancy and diabetes)
What are the two types of bile pigment stones? What are they made up of?
Black - calcium bilirubinate and a network of mucin glycoproteins that interlace with salts such as calcium bicarbonate
Brown - calcium salts (calcium bicarbonate), fatty acids and calcium bilirubinate
How do gallstones present?
majority asymptomatic
biliary/gallstone colic - sudden onset pain, severe but constant and has a crescendo
related to over-indulgence of fatty food
normally mid-evening till early hours of morning
epigastrium pain - radiation to shoulder and right sub scapular
nausea and vomiting
What are the causes of cholecystitis?
gallstones - 95%, that completely obstruct the cystic duct
bile inspissation (dehydration)
bile stasis (trauma or severe systemic illness)
How would cholecystitis present?
continuous epigastric pain
severe localised right upper quadrant abdominal pain
tenderness, muscle guarding or rigidity
vomiting, fever and local peritonitis
How would you differentiate acute cholecystitis and biliary colic?
Inflammatory component of acute cholecystitis (local peritonitis, fever and raised WBC)
What would happen if a gallstone moved from the cystic duct to the common bile duct?
obstructive jaundice and cholangitis
How would you investigate cholecystitis?
RUQ USS - distended gallbladder, thickened gallbladder wall, gallstones, positive Murphy’s sign
FBC - elevated WBC
CRP - raised
LFTs - elevated Alk Phos, gamma-GT and bilirubin
How would you treat cholecystitis?
Abx - cefuroxime + metronidazole
NSAIDs - diclofenac
laparoscopic cholecystectomy
percutaneous cholecystostomy tube
How would you investigate suspected gallstones?
FBC - normal in simple biliary colic
LFTs - cholelithiasis = normal, choledocholithiasis = elevated alk phos, elevated bilirubin
Lipase and amylase - elevated in acute pancreatitis
Abdo USS
How would you treat gallstones?
cholecystectomy
ERCP
What is ascending cholangitis? What are its causes?
infection of the biliary tree
- common bile duct obstructed by gallstones
- benign biliary stricture following biliary surgery
- cancer of head of pancreas = bile duct obstruction
- parasites
How would ascending cholangitis present?
biliary colic fever with rigors jaundice RUQ pain Jaundice is cholestatic - dark urine, pale stools and skin may itch
How would you investigate ascending cholangitis?
FBC - wbc raised
Serum urea - raised in patients with severe disease
Serum creatinine - raised in patients with severe disease
ABG - metabolic acidosis
LFTs - hyperbilirubinaemia, raised serum transaminases and alk phos
CRP
blood culture
ERCP
Transabdominal USS
How would you manage ascending cholangitis?
IV tazobactam/imipenem
biliary decompression
lithotripsy
morphine sulfate