Upper GI tract Flashcards
What is the cervical oesophagus?
Up to sternal notch
Contains skeletal muscles
What are the anatomical contributions to the lower oesophageal sphincter?
3-4cm distal oesophagus within abdomen
Diaphragm surrounds LOS
Intact phrenoesophageal ligament
Angle of His
What is the angle of his?
Angle between distal oesophagus and the fundus
Compresses distal oesophagus from lateral to medial
What are the phases of swallowing?
Oral
Pharyngeal
Upper oesophageal
Lower oesophageal
How is the motility of the oesophagus measured?
Pressure measurements (manometry)
What is the pressure of peristaltic waves?
40mmHg
What is the resting pressure of the LOS?
20mmHg
What happens to pressure of LOS during receptive relaxation?
Decreases by 5mmHg
What is the relaxation of the LOS mediated by?
Mediated by inhibitory noncholinergic nonadrenergic neurons of myenteric plexus
What do you eliminate first with functional disorders of the oesophagus?
Stricture
What are the functional oesophageal disroders?
Hypermobility
Hypomobility
Lack of coordination
GORD
What is odynophagia?
Pain on swallowing
What is regurgitation?
Return of oesophageal contents from above an obstruction
May be functional or mechanical
What is reflux?
Passive return of gastroduodenal contents to the mouth
What is hypermotility of oesophagus called?
Achalasia
What causes Achalasia?
Loss of ganglion cells in aurebach’s myenteric plexus in LOS wall
decreased inhibitory neuron activity
What diseases is hypermotility seen in?
Chagas disease
Protosoa
Amyloid
Sarcome
What is the pathophysoligy of achalasia?
Increasing rested pressure of LOS
Receptive relaxation sets in late and is too weak
During reflex phase pressure in LOS is markedly higher than stomach
Swallowed food collects in oesophagus
Increases oesophageal pressure
Dilatation of the oesophagus
Peristalsis ceases
What is the disease course of achalasia?
Insidious onset
Progressive dilatation (seen on barium swallow)
Pain
Increased risk of oesophageal cancer (28 fold)
What is the treatment of achalasia?
Pneumatic Dilatation
Heller’s Myotomy
Dor fundoplication
POEM
What is pneumatic dilatation?
Weakens LOS by circumferential stretching and in some cases, tearing of its muscles fibres
71-90% efficacy but many relapses
What is Heller’s myotomy
A continuous myotomy performed for 6cm on the oesophagus and 3 cm onto the stomach
What is dor fundoplication?
anterior fundus folded over oesophagus and sutured to right side
What is POEM?
Peroral endoscopic mytomy
Less invasive
What are the stages of POEM?
Mucosal incision
Creation of submucosal tunnel
Myotomy
Closure of mucosal incisons
What does hypomotility cause?
Sceroderma
What is scleroderma?
Autoimmune disease Hypomotility due to neuronal defects Atrophy of smooth muscle of oesophagus Peristalsis in the distal portion ceases Decreases LOS resting pressure GORD develops
What does disordered coordination cause?
Corkscrew oesophagus
What is the pathophysiology od corkscrew?
Diffues oesophageal spasm Dysphagia and chest pain Pressures of 400-500 mmHg Marked hypertrophy of circular muscle Corkscrew seen on barium swallow
Describe anatomy of oesophageal perforations
3x area of anatomical constriction:
Cricopharyngeal constriction
Aortic and bronchial
Diaphragmatic
Pathological narrowing:
Cancer, foreign body, physiological dysfunction
Where are iatrogenic oeseophgeal perforations normally?
OGD
More common in presence of diverticula or cancer
What is Boerhaave’s?
Sudden increase in intra-oesophageal pressure with negative intra thoracic pressure
Vomiting against a close glottis
3.1 per 100,000
What foreign bodies cause perforations?
Disk batteries Magnets Sharp objects Dishwasher tablets Acid/Alkali