Pancreatic and Biliary Disease Flashcards
what is acute pancreatitis?
reversible inflammatory process ranging in severity from oedema and fat necrosis to parenchymal necrosis and severe haemorrhage
risk factors for acute pancreatitis
- gallstones
- alcoholism
how do gallstones lead to pancreatitis?
this obstructs the pancreatic duct which leads to irritation due to activation of pancreatic enzymes whilst in the organ, to cause inflammation of the pancreas
causes of acute pancreatitis
- obstruction of the duct system
- drugs: thiazides, azothiaprine, oestrogens, sulphonamides, methyldopa
- infections: mumps, mycoplasma
- metabolic: hypercalcaemic states
- acute ischaemia: thrombosis, embolism
- trauma
- genetic: cationic trypsinogen and trypsin inhibitor mutations
- idiopathic
pathogenesis of pancreatitis
pancreas is digested by its own enzymes being activated within the organ (autodigestion)
what activates the pancreatic enzymes?
- duct obstruction
- acinar cell injury
- defective intracellular transport
what happens when the duct gets obstructed?
- interstitial oedema
- impaired blood flow
- ischaemia
- acinar cell injury
- leads to activation of enzymes
- alcohol/trauma/drugs/viruses: release of intracellular proenzymes and hydrolases which activates enzymes
what happens if there is defective intracellular transport?
- delivery of proenzymes to lysosomal compartment, leading to activation of enzymes and acinar cell injury
what happens when there is acinar cell injury?
- interstitial inflammation and oedema
- proteolysis
- fat necrosis
- haemorrhage
what causes fat necrosis?
lipases and phospholipases
what does elastase do?
digests the walls of the blood vessels, leading to haemorrhage
clinical features of acute pancreatitis
- abdominal pain
- acute abdomen
- elevated amylase, lipases
- fat necrosis, hypocalcaemia
why is there hypocalcaemia in pancreatitis?
due to extensive fat necrosis, a lot of calcium is pulled out from the bloodstream, causing calcium deposits and hypocalcaemia
complications of pancreatitis
- pancreatic abscess
- pseudocyst
- ARDS; renal failure
- infection by gram negative organisms
- shock
- septicaemia
what type of damage is there in chronic pancreatitis?
irreversible
pathological features of chronic pancreatits
- fibrosis
- present with diabetes mellitus
- recurrent pancreatitis attacks which slowly destroy the pancreas
causes of chronic pancreatitis
- alcohol abuse
- long standing duct obstruction
- hereditary pancreatitis
- tropical pancreatitis
- idiopathic
- autoimmune pancreatitis
pathogenesis of chronic pancreatitis
- necrosis/fibrosis due to acute inflammation, leading to fibrosis, duct distortion and altered secretions, leading to loss of parenchyma and fibrosis