PBL 52 Flashcards
What are the main sites for GI bleeding?
- Upper GI (70%)
- Small bowel GI bleed (<1%)
- Large bowel GI bleed (<30%)
What constitutes the upper GI tract?
Oesophagus, stomach and duodenum
What are the main causes of upper GI bleeds?
- PEPTIC ULCER (50%)
- Varices (10%)
- Gastroduodenal erosions (10%)
- Idiopathic (20%)
- Oesophageal (10%)
Main causes of small bowel bleeding
Jejunal/ileal diverticulae
Main causes of large bowel bleeding
- Angiodysplasia (40%)
- Diverticular disease (40%)
- Carcinoma/polyp (<5%)
- UC/Crohn’s (<5%)
- Haemorrhoids/fissure/fistula
Main approaches to investigation of GI bleeding?
- FBC
- U&E
- Haematinics
- Endoscopy/colonoscopy/CT colonography
Scoring systems for GI bleeding
- Rockall
2. Blatchford
Which of the Rockall and Blatchford scorings systems are better and why?
Blatchford is better because it does not require an endoscopy
What is first line treatment for an upper GI bleed?
Therapeutic endoscopy
- Injection of adrenaline, sclerosants, thrombin or fibrin glue
- Electrocoagulation
- APC
- Clips
How do you treat oesophageal varices?
Injection sclerotherapy
Therapy banding
First line investigations for an acute lower GI bleed
- Normal upper GI endoscopy (to make sure the upper GI tract is fine)
- Colonoscopy
- Angiography - CT or MR angiography
How do you treat polyps during a colonoscopy?
Diathermy and excision
Different methods for visualising the GI tract (7)
- Barium swallow
- Barium enema
- Endoscopy
- Colonoscopy
- Plain X-ray
- Cross-section anatomy
- CT colonoscopy
What are the different barium techniques used to view the upper GI tract?
- Barium swallow (oesophagus –> stomach)
- Barium meal - double contrast (oesophagus –> small intestine)
- Small bowel barium enema (small intestine)
- Double contrast barium enema (large intestine)
Difference between single and double contrast visualising techniques?
- Single contrast - Lumen distended with barium, gives a large vague image, there is poor mucosal detail
- Double contrast - Mucosa coated with barium and lumen distended with air (CO2 etc), there is better mucosal detail with double contract due to mucosal coating so you can see smaller lesions (e.g. adenocarcinomas)
What can single contrasts be used for?
- To check that the patient is aspirating (barium swallow)
- To check vague outline of the GI tract
- To check for pharyngeal pouching (pseudodiverticulum) or pharyngeal bar (constriction)