Upper & Lower GI Flashcards
What are important questions to ask patients presenting with abdominal pain?
- SOCRATES
- Bowel
- function, regularity, consistency
- flatus, blood/mucus
- N+V
- blood/bile
- Systemic symptoms
- Pyrexia weight loss
- Previous operations
- Last E+D
What are other non GI causes of abdominal pain?
- Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA)
- Myocardial Infarction
- Lower Respiratory Tract infection
What do these blood results suggest in someone presenting with sudden onset epigastric pain that is sharp, constant and radiates to the back?
Suggests Pancreatitis - obstructive picture
- Bilirubin, ALP and ALT are all elevated: suggesting a gallstone cholicystic picture
- Amylase is significantly elevated
- suggests that the common bile duct may be blocked as well
What are the most common causes of Pancreatitis?
I GET SMASHED
- Idiopathic
- Gallstones
- Ethanol (alcohol)
- Trauma
- Steroids
- Mumps (re-infection in adulthood)
- Autoimmune
- Scorpion Venom
- Hyperlipidaemia/hypothermia/hypocalcaemia
- ERCP (Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography)
- Drugs
What measures are used in the Modified Glasgow Score for Pancreatitis? What does it show?
P- PO2 <8
A- Age >55
N- Neutrophilia WCC >15
C- Ca+ <2mmol/L
R- Renal Function- Urea >16mmol/L
E- Enzymes- AST LDH > 600, AST >200
A- Albumin <32g/L
S- Sugar- >10mmol
- It is a marker of how severe the patients condition is
- 1 = mild, 2 = moderate, >3 = severe
What imaging is carried out in suspected pancreatitis?
- USS - detects gallstones and pancreatic oedema
- CT - more sensitive - can rule in our out necrosis/ collections
What does a severe scoring on the modified Glasgow score for pancreatitis indicate?
- Score 3 or more within 48hrs of onset = SEVERE
- Rx in HDU/ITU
- 10-50% Mortality for SEVERE PANCREATITIS
What is the general management for a 60 y/o man with a PO2 <8 , severe epigastric tenderness, dehydrated, non distended good BS, localised guarding and a raised amylase
- ABCD approach
- Analgesia, IV fluids, +/- O2, cathetere + fluid balance
- NBM +- NGT, +/- detox regime +/- anti-emetic
- Further interventions
- MRCP/ERCP
- HDU/ITU potentially
What causes 80% of pancreatitis?
- Gallstones
- Alcohol
What are complications of pancreatitis
- Hypovolaemic shock
- Haemorrhagic pancreatitis
- Gret Turner’s/ Cullen’s signs
- Pseudocyst formation
- pressure effect
- Infected necrosis
- ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome)
- SIRS (systemic inflammatory response syndrome)
- T2DM
- Chronic pancreatitis
- Multiple organ failure
- Death
What does this chest radiograph show? +/- indicate
- this is free air underneath the diagram
- suggestive of bowel perforation
- this image is taken erect
What are the complications of a peptic ulcer
- management
- Perforation
- Erosion through mucosa into
peritoneal cavity - Surgical emergency
- laparotomy
- Severe haematemesis
- Erosion into a vessel
- Medical emergency
- Endoscopy → laparotomy if fails
What does this radiograph show?
- free gas (black) and fluid (darker grey) around the edge of the liver
- may be due to a bowel perforation
What are risk factors for peptic ulcer disease?
- H.Pylori
- NSAIDS
- Smoking
- Spiced foods
- Blood group O
What are the different presentations for Gastric vs Duodenal ulcers?
Gastric
- M:F – 3:1
- Peak 50 years
- 45% assoc H Pylori
- Exacerbated by food
Duodenal
- M:F – 5:1
- Peak 25-30 years
- 85% assoc H Pylori
- Relieved by food
What is Murphys sign?
what does it indicate?
Asking a patient to inhale deebly whilst pallpating on the right costal margin
- a positive sign will illicit pain
- and this is indicative of acute cholicystits (inflammation of the gallbladder)
What is Rovsing’s sign?
What could this indicate?
When you press down on left lower quadrant of the abdomen and it illicits pain on the right lower quadrant
- could indicate appendicits
What is the gold standard for imaging the gallbladder?
USS
What are the Risk factors for gallstones?
- Fat
- Female
- Fertile
- Fourties
How would you manage someone presenting with gallstones (cholelithiasis)?
Conservative
- IV fluids, analgesia then Anti-biotics, low fat diet send them home
Surgically
- IV fluids, analgesia, chelcystectomy
What are complications of gallstones?
- Empyema/mucocoele
- Gallbladder perforation (rare)
- Gallstone ileus
- gall stone perforates small bowel
- Pancreatitis
What is Ascending Cholangitis?
Infection of the bile duct, usually caused by ascending bacteria from the duodenum
most commonly Escherichia coli, Klebsiella, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, and Citrobacter
How do people present with Ascending cholangitis?
- Charcot’s triad
- (RUQ pain, Jaundice, Pyrexia)
- Reynold’s pentad
- Charcot’s+ Shock + confusion
- as well as RUQ pain, Jaundice, Pyrexia
What are causes of ascending cholangitis?
- Gallstones
- Strictures (benign/balignant)
- Malignancy (CBD/ pancrease)
- Iatrogenic - ERCP
- Bacterial infection
What is Biliary Colic?
Acute gall bladder pain when gallstones transiently blocks the cystic duct and the gallbladder contracts
- caused by fatty foods
- patiently is systemically well
What is Dysphagia?
Causes
Difficulty swallowing
- Malignancy
- Neurological
- Stroke, Parkisons, Myasthenia Gravis
- Pharngeal pouch
- Pharngitis
- Radiotherapy
What is a pharngeal pouch (Zenker’s diverticulum)?
Occurs when part of the pharyngeal lining herniates through the muscles of the pharyngeal wall. This occurs mainly in older people.
causes dysphagia
Whats is the investigation pathway for someone presenting with dysphagia?
what would each pathway show?
Bloods: FBC, U&E, LFT
Distingiuish - Oesophageal or Oropharngeal
Oesophageal
- Endoscopy and biopsy
- Stricture,
- Oesphagitis,
- Dysmotility
Oropharngeal
- Videofluoroscopic swallowing assessment
- neurological disease: Pseudo/Bulbar palsy, Myasthenia gravis
What are Oesophageal cauees of dysphagia?
- Stricture,
- Benign: Peptic, Fibrous ring
- Malignant: Carcinoma of stomach/ oesophagus, Extrinsic compression
- Oesophagitis
- Peptic
- Candidiasis
- Eosinophilic
- Dysmotility
- Achalasia
- Non-speciifc motility disorder
A patient presents with weightloss and difficulty swallowing with a “sticking” feeling in their throat. They have on endoscopy and they get his image what is your top differential and management?
Oesophageal cancer
Management
- Staging: CT, laparoscopy, EUS, PET
- Surgical: Oesophagectomy
- Medical: Chemotherapy radiotherapy
- Palliative: Stenting
- complications
8th most common cancer worldwide
2x more common in males
80% occur in >60 y/o
10-15% survival rate
What type of Oesophageal Cancers are there?
- Squamous Cell Carcinoma (more common in far east 90%, 25-40% in the UK)
- Tends to affect upper 2/3
- Smoking
- Alcohol
- Adenocarcinoma (more common in west, 60-75% in the UK)
- Tends to affect lower 1/3
- GORD
- Barrett’s oesophagus
- Obesity
What are causes of Gord, and what are its complications?
- 10-20% of population affected
- Dyspepsia/heartburn/indigestion
- decrease Lower oesophageal tone
- Can be associated with Hiatus hernia
- Can lead to Barrett’s oesophagus
What is Barret’s Oesophagus?
Barrett’s esophagus is a condition in which tissue that is similar to the lining of your intestine replaces the tissue lining your esophagus. People with Barrett’s oesophagus may develop a rare cancer called esophageal adenocarcinoma
What is the treatment for GORD?
- PPI: (eg omeprazole)
- wouldn’t use omeprazole in patients on hyponatremic medication
- H2: antagonist (eg ranitidine)
- Alginates: (eg Gaviscon)
What is seen in this image
Investigations, and treatment
- Oesophageal dysmotility syndrome
- decreased peristalsis
- increased LES tone
- Often painful
- resulting in bird peaked stricture
- Ix- Barium swallow, manometry, bx
- Rx- Ca channel blockers, dilatation,
Heller myotomy, POEM NOTES
What are potential differentials for the circular lesion on this image?
Keloid scar
Umbilical Hernia
Sister Mary Joseph umbilical nodule (metastatic cancer nodule)
What types of gastric cancer are there?
Gastric adenocarcinoma 74.6%
Gastric lymphoma 24%
- Polypoid carcinoma; Large & bulky(25%)
- Ulcerating deep,penetrating tumours that can extend through all walls(25%)
- Superficial spreading - early gastric cancer(10%) (Japanese)
- Linitis Plastica(10%) Leather bottle
- Advanced(30%)
What are risk factors for gastric cancer?
- Chronic gastritis
- Hypochlorhydria
- Infection with H.pylori
- Previous partial gastrectomy – stump carcinoma
- Diet
- Nitrites
- smoked & salted foods
- pickled vegetables.
- Smoking
What are the differentials with someone with this history and examination
- PC: 4 weeks of constipation and then loose stool
- HPC: 1 stone weight loss 6 months
- +abdominal distension. FIT test positive
- No pain, no vomiting, Previously BO regularly od.
- PMH: IHD, hypercholesterolaemia
- Looks comfortable
- Pale conjunctivae
- No abdominal tenderness
- Hugely distended abdomen, quiet BS
- PR- empty, No blood , No melaena
- OBS:
- HR110, BP 110/80, RR 28, Sats 96%, Afebrile
- Colorectal malignancy
- Large bowel obstruction
- Small bowel obstruction
- Ischaemic bowel
- IBD
- IBS
What does this image show given this history
- PC: 4 weeks of constipation and then loose stool
- HPC: 1 stone weight loss 6 months
- +abdominal distension. FIT test positive
- No pain, no vomiting, Previously BO regularly od.
- PMH: IHD, hypercholesterolaemia
Left colon cancer with liver metastases
What is the management of Colorectal cancer?
- Initial: ABCDE
- NBM
- IV fluids
- Analgesia
- ±O2
- ±Anti-emetic
- Fluid balance (consider catheter)
- Correct electrolytes
- Urgent CT – CAP
- Stoma nurse (based on surgery needs)
- Further: Endoscopy
- Expediated v planned laparotomy eg impending perforation, peritonitis
- Lap v open
- Daylight hours v out of hours
What is the epidemiology of colorectal cancer?
50,000 cases a year in the UK
4th most common cancer in UK
after Breast, Lung, Prostate.
2nd most common cause of cancer death
15,000 deaths / year in UK (44/day)
Survival improving despite incidence rising
Overall survival 60% surgery all stages
Majority over 70 years old (60%)
SURVIVAL IS GOOD Women/Men
What are risk factors for Colorectal cancer?
- Male
- Increasing age
- Smoking
- Alcohol
- Obesity
- Family history
- Inflammatory bowel disease
What are the criteria that make up the Two Week Rule (2WR) criteria in the UK
- Over 40 with UNEXPLAINED weight loss
- Over 50 with rectal bleeding
- 60 or over with iron deficiency anaemia
- 60 or over with a change in bowel habit
- Palpable mass abdominally or rectally
- Additionally population screening tests
- Positive FOB / FIT Test
What is FOB/FIT test?
- Population screening tests
- (every 2 years in UK 50-74yrs)
- FOB – faecal occult blood test
- Gold standard
- However picks up any blood in faeces- eg also from food
- Needs 3 faeces samples from 3 separate bowel movements
- FIT – faecal immunochemical test is an improved tool from FOB
- More sensitive ( can system cope with increased demand v earlier detection is better for patient)
- Can measure HOW much human blood
- in stool rather than just Y/N
- Increases uptake as 1 sample needed v 3
What tests are done to investigate for bowel cancer?
- Luminal sample (Tissue)
- Gold standard – colonoscopy – RISKS Flexible sigmoidoscopy LIMITED STUDY OGD – IDA or obstructive symptoms
- Radiological
- CT / MRI / USS / PET CT
- ‘Virtual colonoscopy’ – CT Colonography
- Other – Blood tests – CEA, LFT, FBC
- FIT/FOB
What is the CEA Test
it’s a blood test that looks for the Carcinoembryonic Antigen which is a tumor marker produced in the colon and rectum
- CEA is a glycoprotein produced in foetal GI tissues involved in cell adhesion. production stops at birth
- normal levels in adults 2-4ng/ml
- normal level in smoker <5ng/ml
- A rising CEA can indicate progression or recurrence of tumour
- Once tumour is removed CEA levels return to normal in 3/12 weeks
- It’s not specific as it can be raised in
- smokers
- cancers of prostate, ovary, non cancerous breast diseases
- lung, thyroid, emphysema
- liver, cirrhosis
What are the risks of colonoscopy?
Bleeding Perforation
Missed pathology
Acute kidney injury
Risks of sedation (elderly, frail, aspiration)