Upper GI tract Flashcards
At what vertebrae does the trachea start and end?
C5 to T4
Where does the diaphragm sit?
T10
What is Stage 0 of swallowing?
Oral Phase
- chewing and saliva prepare bolus
- both oesophageal sphincters constricted
What is Stage 1 of swallowing?
Pharyngeal Phase
- pharyngeal musculature guides bolus towards the oesophagus
- upper oesophageal sphincter opens reflexively
- lower oesophageal sphincter opens due to vasovagal reflex (receptive relaxation reflex)
What is Stage 2 of swallowing?
Upper Oesophageal Phase
- upper sphincter closes
- superior circular muscles contract while inferior rings dilate
- sequential contractions of longitudinal muscle
What is Stage 3 of swallowing?
Lower Oesophageal Phase
- lower sphincter closes as food passes through
How is oesophageal motility measured?
pressure measurements (manometry)
What is the approximate pressure measurement of peristaltic waves?
around 40mmHg
What is the lower oesophageal sphincter’s resting pressure?
around 20 mmHg
What is the approximate change in the oesophageal sphincter’s pressure during receptive relaxation?
decreases to <5mmHg
What is the lower oesophageal sphincter mediated by?
inhibitory noncholinergic nonadrenergic (NCNA) neurons of the myenteric plexus
What are functional disorders of the oesophagus in the absence of a stricture caused by?
- abnormal oesophageal contraction (hyper-motility, hypo-motility, disordered co-ordination)
- failure of protective mechanisms for reflux (GORD)
What are the different types of dysphagia?
- solids or fluids
- intermittent or progressive
- precise or vague
What is important when someone is complaining of dysphagia?
localisation
- cricopharyngeal sphincter or distal
What is odynophagia?
pain on swallowing
What is regurgitation?
return of oesophageal contents from above an obstruction (functional or mechanical)
What may cause mechanical regurgitation?
obstructions eg: tumours
What is reflux?
passive return of gastroduodenal contents to the mouth
What is the biological characteristics of Achalasia?
- loss of ganglion cells in myenteric plexus in the lower oesophageal sphincter wall
- leads to decreased activity of inhibitory NCNA neurones
What is Achalasia?
- the absence of peristalsis, and impaired relaxation of the lower oesophageal sphincter
- progressive cause of dysphagia
- hyper-motility disorder
What causes primary achalasia?
unknown aetiology
What causes secondary achalasia?
diseases that cause similar oesophageal motor abnormalities
- Chagas’ Disease
- Protozoa Infection
- Anyloid/Sarcoma/Eosinophilic Oesophagitis
What happens in the development of Achalasia?
- increased resting pressure of the lower oesophageal sphincter
- receptive relaxation is inadequate in the LOS
- pressure in LOS is much higher than the stomach, so food does not pass through
- swallowed food contents collects in the oesophagus
- causes increased pressure and dilation of the oesophagus
- peristalsis stops
What are the symptoms of Achalasia?
- weight loss
- dysphagia
- regurgitation
- oesophagitis
- pneumonia due to aspiration
Is Achalasia a disorder of hyper or hypomotility?
hypermotility
What is the course of Achalasia?
- insidious onset (symptoms for years before help)
- without treatment leads to progressive oesophageal dilation
What does Achalasia predispose you to?
oesophageal cancer
What are the possible treatment options for Achalasia?
- Pneumatic Dilation
- Heller’s Myotomy + Dor fundoplication
What is pneumatic dilation?
- weakening of the LOS by circumferential stretching with an inflated balloon
- in some cases it tears muscle fibres
What is the efficacy of pneumatic dilation?
71-90% respond initially, many subsequently relapse
What is Heller’s Myotomy?
- a continuous myotomy of the LOS
- 6cm of the oesophagus and 3cm of the stomach is removed
What is Dor Fundoplication?
anterior fundus of stomach is folded over the oesophagus and sutured to the right side of myotomy
What are the risks associated with Heller’s Myotomy and Dor Fundoplication?
- oesophageal and gastric perforation (10-16%)
- splenic injury (1-5%)
- division of the vagus nerve (rare)
What is Scleroderma?
autoimmune disease that is usually irreversible
What are the biological effects of Scleroderma?
- hypo-motility in it’s early stages due to neuronal defects leading to atrophy of the smooth muscle of the oesophagus
- peristalsis in the distal portion ultimately ceases
- decreased resting pressure on the LOS
- GORD develops
What is Scleroderma associated with?
CREST syndrome
What is CREST syndrome?
- Calcinosis
- Reynauds phenomenon
- Esophageal Dysmotility
- Sclerodactyly
- Telangiectasia
How do you treat Scleroderma?
- exclude organic obstruction (no malignancy)
- improve force of peristalsis with prokinetics (cisapride) - low efficacy
- once peristaltic failure occurs, usually irreversible
What is corkscrew oesophagus?
diffuse oesophageal spasm
- uncoordinated contractions
- marked hypertrophy of circular muscle
- pressures of 400-500mmHg (very high)
What symptoms can corkscrew oesophagus present with?
- dysphagia
- chest pain
What is the treatment of corkscrew oesophagus?
may respond to forceful pneumatic dilation - results are not as predictable
Where do oesophageal perforations tend to occur?
- Cricopharyngeal constriction
- Aortic and bronchial constriction
- Diaphragmatic and ‘sphincter’ constriction
What can cause oesophageal perforations?
- Iatrogenic (investigation caused) >50%
- Spontaneous/Boerhaave’s 15%
- Foreign body 12%
- Trauma 9%
- Intraoperative 2%
- Malignant 1%