Upper GI Flashcards
How long is the oesophagus?
25cm (40cm from GOJ to lips)
Describe the course of the oesophagus
- Starts at level of cricoid cartilag e- C6
- Lies in the visceral column in the neck
- Runs in posterior mediastinum
- Passes through right crus of diaphragm at T10
- Continues for 2-3cm before entering the cardia
What are the 3 locations of oesophageal narrowing?
- Level of cricoid
- Posterior to left main bronchus and aortic arch
- LOS
What kind of muscle is in the oesophagus?
Striated then mixed then smooth
What kind of epithelium lines the oesophagus?
Non keratinising squamous - Z line is where it transitions from squamous to gastric columnar
What are the causes of dysphagia?
- Inflammatory
- Tonsilitis, pharyngitis
- Oesophagitis: GORD, candida
- Oral candidiasis
- Aphthous ulcers
- Neuro/motility
- Local: achalasia, diffuse oesophageal spasm, nutcracker oesophagus, bulbar/pseudobulbar palsy (CVA, MND)
- Systemic: systemic sclerosis/CREST, MG
- Mechanical obstruction
- Luminal: FB, food bolus
- Mural
- Benign stricture: web (e.g. Plummer Vinson), oesophagitis, trauma e.g. OGD
- Malignant stricture: pharynx, oesophagus, gastric
- Pharyngeal pouch
- Extra mural
- Retrosternal goitre, rolling hiatus hernia, lung cancer, mediastinal LNs e.g. lymphoma, thoracic AA
What 3 investigations should you order for dysphagia?
- Upper GI endoscopy
- Ba swallow
- Manometry
Which age groups get achalasia?
Young adults and the elderly
What is the pathophysiology in achalasia?
Degeneration of the myenteric plexus (Auerbach’s). Peristalsis is decreased and the LOS fails to relax
What are the causes of achalasia?
Either idiopathic (commonest) or secondary to Chagas disease (T cruzii)
How does achalasia present?
- Dysphagia to liquids then solids
- Regurgitation (especially at night)
- Substernal cramps
- Weight loss
What is a complication of achalasia?
Chronic achalsia can become an oesophageal SCC in 3-5%
Which investigation findings are indicative of achalasia?
- Barium swallow: dilated tapering oesophagus (bird’s beak)
- Manometry: failure of relaxation and decreased peristalsis
- CXR: widened mediastinum, double RH border
- Do an OGD to exclude malignancy
What is the treatment for achalasia?
- Medical: CCBs, nitrates
- Interventional: botox injection, endoscopic balloon dilatation
- Surgical: Heller’s cardiomyotomy (open or lap)
What is Zenker’s diverticulum?
Pharyngeal pouch
What is the pathophysiology in pharyngeal pouch?
Outpouching between crico- and thyro-pharyngeal components of the inferior pharyngeal constrictor. The area of weakness = Killian’s dehiscence. Defect usually occurs posteriorly but swelling usually bulges to the left side of the neck.
Food debris -> pouch expansion -> oesophageal compression -> dysphagia
How does a pharyngeal pouch present?
Regurgitation, halitosis, gurgling sounds
How is a pharyngeal pouch treated?
Excision, endoscopic stapling
How does diffuse oesophageal spasm present and what are the investigation findings?
Intermittent severe chest pain ± dysphagia especially to hot and cold. Young adults. Barium swallow shows corkscrew oesophagus
How is diffuse oesphageal spasm treated?
CCBs, benzos, nitrates, surgery
WHat are the features of nutcracker oesphagus?
Intermittent dysphagia ± chest pain. Increased contraction pressure with normal peristalsis
What is the pathophysiology in Plummer Vinson syndrome?
Severe IDA -> hyperkeratinisation of the upper 3rd of the oesophagus -> web formation
What is the possible complication in Plummer Vinson?
It’s premalignant - 20% risk of SCC
What are the causes of oesphageal rupture?
- Iatrogenic (85-90%): endoscopy, biopsy, dilatation
- Violent emesis: Boerhaave’s syndrome
- Carcinoma
- Caustic ingestion
- Trauma: surgical emphysema ± pneumothorax
What are the features of oesphageal rupture?
- Odonophagia
- Mediastinitis: tachypnoea, dyspnoea, fever, shock
- Surgical emphysema
How is oesophageal rupture managed?
- Iatrogenic: PPI, NGT, antibiotics
- Other: resus, PPI, antibiotics, antifungals, debridement and formation of oesophago-cutaneous fistula with T tube
What is the rule about new dyphagia over 45 years old?
It’s oesophageal cancer until proven otherwise
What is the epidemiology of oesphageal cancer?
- Incidence is 12/100,000 and increasing (due to Barrett’s)
- 50-70 years
- M>F 5:1
- Iran, Transkei, China
What are the risk factors for oesophageal cancer?
- EtOH
- Smoking
- Achalasia
- GORD and Barrett’s
- Plummer-Vinson
- Fatty diet
- Low vitamin A and C
- Nitrosamine exposure
What are the types of oesphageal cancer and what are they associated with?
- 65% adenocarcinoma
- Lower 3rd, from barrett’s
- Western Europe
- 35% SCC
- Upper and middle thirds
- Associated with alcohol and smoking
- Commonest worldwide: Japan, China, South Africa, poor diets
- Others: rhabdomyosarcoma, lipoma, GI stromal tumours
How does oesophageal cancer present?
- Often asymptomatic
- Progressive dsyphagia: solids then liquids, people often alter their diets leading to weight loss
- Retrosternal chest pain
- Lymphadenopathy
- Upper 3rd:
- Hoarseness due to recurrent laryngeal nerve invasion
- Cough ± aspiration pneumonia
- Haematemesis (rarely at presentation)
How, and how quickly, does oesophageal cancer spread?
Direct extension, lymphatics and blood; 75% have mets at diagnosis
What investigations should be done in oesophageal cancer?
- Bloods:
- FBC: anaemia
- LFTs: hepatic mets, albumin
- Diagnosis:
- Upper GI endoscopy with biopsy
- Barium swallow not often used but would show apple-core stricture
- Staging: TNM
- CT
- EUS
- Laparoscopy/mediastinoscopy for mets
Describe the TNM staging system for oesophageal cancer
Tis: carcinoma in situ
T1: submucosa
T2: muscularis propria (circ/long)
T3: adventicia
T4: adjacent structures
N1: regional nodes
M1: distant mets
Which MDT members should be involved in oesophageal cancer?
- Upper GI surgeon
- Gastro
- Radiologist
- Pathologist
- Oncologist
- Specialist nurses
- Macmillan nurses
- Palliative care
Describe the surgical management of oesophageal cancer and its prognosis
- 25-30% have resectable tumours
- Might have neoadjuvant chemo before surgery to downstage tumour: cisplatin and 5FU e.g.
- Approaches:
- Ivor Lewis (2 stage): abdominal and right thoracotomy
- McKeown (3 stage): abdominal + R thoracotomy + left neck incision
- Trans-hiatal: abdominal incision
- Prognosis: stage dependent but about 15% 5 year survival
Describe the palliative management options for oesophageal cancer
- Majority of patients
- Laser coagulation
- Alcohol injection and manage ascites
- Stenting
- Secretion reduction e.g. hyoscine patch
- Analgesia e.g. fentanyl patches
- Radiotherapy: external or brachytherapy
- Palliative care team and Macmillan nurses
What is the prognosis for non-resectable oesophageal cancer?
<5% 5 year survival (median 4 months)
What are the types of benign tumours occurring in the oesophagus?
- Leiomyoma
- Lipomas
- Haemangiomas
- Benign polyps
What are the 2 basic processes that can cause GORD?
Decreased LOS tone or increased intragastric pressure
What are the risk factors for GORD?
- Hiatus hernia
- Smoking
- EtOH
- Obesity
- Pregnancy
- Drugs: anti-AChM, nitrates, CCBs, TCAs
- Iatrogenic: Heller’s myotomy
What are the symptoms of GORD?
- Oesophageal
- Retrosternal pain: heartburn
- Related to meals
- Worse lying down e.g. at night/stooping
- Relieved by antacids
- Belching
- Regurgitation
- Acid brash, water brash
- Odonophagia
- Retrosternal pain: heartburn
- Extra oesophageal
- Nocturnal asthma
- Chronic cough
- Laryngitis, sinusitis
What are the differentials for GORD?
- Oesophagitis
- Infection: CMV, candida
- IBD
- Caustic substances/burns
- Peptic ulcer disease
- Oesophageal cancer
How should GORD be investigated?
- Isolated symptoms don’t need investigating
- Can check an FBC
- CXR may show hiatus hernia
- OGD if:
- >55
- Persistent symptoms despite treatment
- Anaemia, weight loss, anorexia
- Recent onset progressive symptoms
- Melaena
- Swallowing difficulty
- Allows grading
- Barium swallow might show hiatus hernia, dysmotility
- 24h pH testing ± manometry
- pH <4 for >4 hours
How is GORD managed?
- Conservative
- Weight loss
- Raise head of bed
- Small regular meals ≥3h before bed
- Stop smoking and reduce alcohol
- Avoid hot drinks and spicy food
- Stop drugs: NSAIDs, anti-AChM, nitrates, CCB, TCAs
- Medical
- OTC antacids: gaviscon, Mg trisilicate
- 1: full dose PPI for 1-2 months
- Lansoprazole 30mg OD
- 2: no response -> double dose PPI BD
- 3: no response -> add H2RA e.g. ranitidine 300mg nocte
- Control: low dose acid suppression PRN
- Surgical
- Nissen fundoplication
- Indications:
- Severe symptoms
- Refractory to medical therapy
- Confirmed reflux (pH monitoring)
What happens in a Nissen fundoplication?
- Aim is to prevent reflux and repair the diaphragm
- Usually laparoscopic
- Mobilise gastric fundus and wrap around lower oesophagus
- Close any diaphragmatic hiatus
What are the possible complications of a Nissen fundoplication?
- Gas-bloat syndrome: inability to belch/vomit
- Dysphagia if wrapped too tight
How are hiatus hernias classified?
- Sliding (80%)
- GOJ slides up into chest
- Often associated with GORD
- Rolling (15%)
- GOJ remains in abdomen but a bulge of stomach rolls into chest alongside the oesophagus
- LOS remains intact so GORD uncommon
- Can lead to strangulation and volvulus
- Mixed (5%)
What investigations should be done in a suspected hiatus hernia?
- CXR: gas bubble and fluid level in chest
- Barium swallow: diagnostic
- OGD: assess for oesophagitis
- 24h pH and manometry: exclude dysmotility or achalasia
What is the treatment for hiatus hernia?
- Lose weight
- Treat reflux
- Surgery if intractable symptoms despite medical therapy
- Should consider repairing a rolling hernia even if asymptomatic because of the risk of strangulation
How does peptic ulcer disease present?
Epigastric pain:
- DU: before meals and at night, relieved by eating
- GU: worse on eating (leading to weight loss), relieved by antacids
What are the risk factors for peptic ulcer disease?
- Close association with low socioeconomic status
- Men
- H pylori - upsets balance between mucosal regeneration and repair
- NSAIDs, steroids
- Smoking, EtOH
- Stress (GU):
- Cushing’s ulcers: head injury
- Curling’s: burns