Week 13 - GI/Liver Flashcards
What is seen on imaging in appendicitis?
- Plain films not useful - can see stone, distended tubular structure
- Fat stranding on CT- fat around organ more grey and streaky = oedema
- US best for appendicitis in young + slim
What causes liver cysts? What is the most common liver cyst?
- Usually developmental or degenerative in origin
- Commonest = Von Meyenberg complex (= simple biliary hamartoma)
- Important because can resemble metastases by naked eye at operation; often submitted for pathology including urgent intra-operative frozen section
- No treatment required
Which mutations cause carcinoma of the pancreas?
- Heterogenous tumours w/ wide range of mutations - no standard effective therapy
- Most common mutations are v common generally e.g. KRAS, P53
What is the acute abdomen?
Acute/subacute onset of abdominal pain
What are the consequences of autoimmune gastritis?
- Complete loss of parietal cells with pyloric and intestinal metaplasia
- Achlorhydria -> bacterial overgrowth
- Hypergastrinaemia -> endocrine cell hyperplasia /carcinoids
- Persistent inflammation which can lead to epithelial dysplasia and may lead to cancer
Describe the medical management of ulcerative colitis
- 5-ASA/Mesalazine:
- Numerous preparations
- Better tolerated than Sulphasalazine
- 4.8g > 2.4g daily for induction of remission in moderate UC (ASCEND studies)
- 2.4g maintenance (minimum 1.2g to ↓ CRC risk)
- PO and topical > PO alone
- Topical 5-ASA > topical steroids
- Numerous preparations
- Medical Escalation:
- Azathioprine/6MP
- With a severe relapse/frequently relapsing disease
- Requiring two or more corticosteroid courses within a 12 month period
- Those whose disease relapses as the dose of steroid is reduced below 15 mg
- Relapse within 6 weeks of stopping corticosteroids
- 20-30% intolerant, risks of lymphoma, NMSC, Ca
- Azathioprine/6MP
- Biologics/surgery
What causes gastritis?
- Acute
- Alcohol
- Medication e.g. NSAIDs
- Severe trauma
- Burns (Curling’s ulcers)
- Surgery
- Chronic
- Autoimmune
- Bacterial (H pylori)
- Chemical
Describe the macroscopic and microscopic features of ulcerative colitis
- Macroscopic features
- Diffuse involvement of the lower GIT; terminal ileum can be involved but generally only in severe cases where the whole bowel including the caecum is involved (so-called ‘back-wash ileitis’)
- Microscopic features
- Crypt architectural changes are generally very marked
- Little/no fibrosis
- No granulomas
Describe the prognosis of colorectal carcinoma based on staging
- Stage 1 (T1/2 N0 M0)
- 91.7% 5 YS
- 16% of cases
- Stage 2 (T3/4 N0 M0)
- 84.1% 5YS
- 25% of cases
- Stage 3 (T and N1/2 M0)
- 64.9% 5YS
- 26% of cases
- Stage 4 (T any N1/2 M1)
- 10% 5YS
- 20% of cases
- Unknown stage
- 41% survival
- 14% of cases
Staging dictates what management the patient will undergo e.g. adjuvant therapy in stage 3
Describe the guidelines for variceal bleeding
- Primary prophylaxis - beta-blockers or band ligation
- Acute bleeding
- Antibiotics and Terlipressin (in A&E)
- Banding first lie for oesophageal variceal bleeding
- TIPS for uncontrolled variceal bleeding
- Balloon tamponade (as temporary salvage)
- Prevention of rebleeding
- Beta-blocker and repeated band ligation
What is faecal calprotectin? How is it used clinically?
- Protein produced in gut as result of any inflammatory process
- High negative predictive value
- Differentiate between functional and organic GI disorders in patients presenting w/ lower abd symptoms
- Sensitive but non-specific, can be elevated due to any cause of underlying inflammation e.g. coeliac, NSAIDs, IBD or infection
Why is stress important in a GI history?
Stress can lead to functional GI diseases e.g. IBS
Describe the appearance of the GIT on plain abdominal film
- Colon laterally, small bowel medially, stomach medial LUQ
- Ascending and descending colon usually fixed, variable transverse and sigmoid
- Colonic gas - round pockets, shows haustral contractions
- Midline gas in pelvis = rectum
- Stomach most superior and medial structure below L hemidiaphragm
- No gas in small bowel - collapsed or full of fluid (not visible on plain film)
Where are AST/ALT found?
- In liver - hepatocytes
- Muscle (including cardiac) - check CK
- E.g. compartment syndrome
Describe the features of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours
- Rare
- May secret hormones (functional)
- Glucagonomas/insulinomas
- Commonest functional tumour is insulinoma which presents with hypoglycaemia
- 90% of insulinomas are benign
- Malignant endocrine tumours have much better prognosis than pancreatic carcinoma
List the types of liver neoplasms
- Benign (5%)
- Liver cell (hepatocyte) - hepatocellular adenoma
- Bile duct - bile duct adenoma (rare)
- Blood vessel - haemangioma
- Non-liver tissue - N/A
- Malignant
- Liver cell (hepatocyte) - hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
- Bile duct - cholangio-carcinoma
- Blood vessel - angiosarcoma
- Non-liver tissue - metastases
What are the risk factors for colorectal carcinomas?
- Adenoma - size, number, villous
- History of IBD (especially Ulcerative colitis patients)
- Family History (e.g. Polyposis syndromes)
- Familial adenomatous polyposis syndrome (associated with APC gene)
- Lynch syndrome (previously called Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colorectal Carcinoma syndrome, HNPCC; associated with mismatch repair defects)
What imaging modalities are used in investigation of an acute abdomen?
- Plain films
- Ultrasound
- CT
Describe the absorption of vitamin B12
- Vitamin B12 ingested (meat, eggs, fish, milk)
- B12 bound to salivary haptocorrin (transcobalamin I) which protects it from gastric acid
- Haptocorrin is digested in duodenum and ‘free’ B12 then binds to intrinsic factor (IF) produced by gastric parietal cells
- B12-IF complex then absorbed in terminal ileum
- B12 then binds to transcobalamin II and is secreted into plasma and transported to liver and other tissues
Describe the pathogenesis of the clinical manifestations of chronic liver disease
- Cirrhosis = higher resistance within liver, raised portal venous pressure
- Hypersplenism (thrombocytopaenia)
- Raised portal pressure leads to redistribution of blood and porto-systemic shunting
- Porto-systemic shunting –> oesophago-gastric varices, encephalopathy (ammonia build up in the brain - liver can’t break down/bypasses)
- Portosystemic shunting –> release of nitric oxide –> vasodilatation
- Vasodilatation –> splanchnic vasodilatation (–> raised portal pressure), reduced effective circulating volume
- Hyperdynamic circulation
- Reduced effective circulating volume –> compensatory vasopressors (RAAS, catecholamines) –> sodium retention
- Sodium retention = ascites
- Reduced effective circulating volume –> compensatory vasopressors (RAAS, catecholamines) –> renal vasoconstriction
- Renal vasoconstriction = hepato-renal syndrome
Describe the Glasgow Blatchford Score
- Predicts need for intervention or death
- Uses
- Blood urea
- Haemoglobin for men/women
- Systolic blood pressure
- Other markers - pulse > 100, melaena, syncope, hepatic disease, cardiac failure
- GBS <1 identifies those at very low risk of poor outcome - can be discharged for out-patient endoscopy
Describe the immediate management of an upper GI bleed
- Resuscitate
- Pulse & BP
- IV access for fluids/blood (check bloods, esp. Hb & urea)
- Lie flat & give oxygen
- Risk assessment & timing of endoscopy:
- High risk: emergency endoscopy
- Identified by clinical assessment - pulse/BP, age and comorbidities
- Moderate risk: admit & next day endoscopy
- Low risk: out-patient management?
- High risk: emergency endoscopy
- Drug therapy and transfusion
Describe the histological appearance of Barrett’s mucosa
- No dysplasia
- Goblet cells imply intestinal differentiation
What are the complications of chronic hepatitis B?
- Development of chronic liver disease in 25%
- Cirrhosis
- Decompensation
- Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)
- Death
Describe management strategies for Crohn’s disease
- Step-up approach - least to most aggressive treatment
- Top-down approach - most to least
- 5-ASA or sulfasalazine
- Prednisone or budesonide
- Immunodulators (AZA or 6-MP or MTX)
- Biologic agents
- Surgery
Nutritional support throughout
How can inflammation in the liver manifest?
- Acute inflammation = agent causes injury but is then removed
- Days to weeks
- N.B. “Fulminant” = severe acute, rapidly progressing towards liver failure
- Days to weeks
- Chronic inflammation = agent causes injury and then persists
- Months to years
- Chronic liver disease = >6 months deranged LFTs
- Chronic common in liver and may increase connective tissue (fibrosis)
- “Acute-on-chronic”
- Chronic liver disease often presents with acute exacerbation plus evidence of underlying chronicity e.g. fibrosis
Describe the transmission of HBV infection
- Mother to baby - vertical transmission, usually at birth
- Contaminated needles and syringes
- Organs and tissue transplantation
- Fluids (blood, semen)
- Transfusion (blood, blood products)
Worldwide, most infections occur vertically at birth
In the UK, most new infections diagnosed in migrants infected elsewhere, moving into UK
New sexual infections in UK rare
What is the effect of inflammation on liver tissue?
Injurious agent causes cell damage and sometimes death, often with inflammatory cell infiltrate
What causes gastric cancer?
Strongly associated with chronic gastritis - H. Pylori or autoimmune
List the lab tests used in hepatitis B diagnosis
- sAg - surface antigen - marker of infection
- Produced by virus into blood - currently infected w/ Hep B
- sAb - surface antibody - marker of immunity
- Have had virus/vaccine and mounted an immune response - don’t currently have Hep B
- cAb - core antibody
- Made only if been infected with Hep B (vaccine doesn’t contain)
- eAg - e antigen - suggests high infectivity
- eAb - e antibody - suggests low infectivity
- HBV DNA
How is hepatitis A transmitted?
- Faeco-oral
- Human reservoir - only host
- Virus can survive for months in contaminated water
What are the criteria for pancreatitis diagnosis?
- Clinical symptoms
- Biochemistry
- CT findings
In keeping with pancreatitis
How can liver disease be classified?
- Clinical presentation
- Histological pattern (of diffuse liver disease: morphology)
- Specific cause
What are the potential causes of weight loss?
- Malignancy
- Thyrotoxicosis
- Infection (TB)
- Malabsorption
- Eating disorders
Describe the histological consequences of chemical gastritis
Few inflammatory cells. Surface congestion oedema, elongation of gastric pits, tortuosity, reactive hyperplasia / atypia, ulceration
What are the causes of acute hepatitis?
- Hepatitis viruses esp. A & E
- Hepatitis viruses esp. B & C (& D)
- Drug injury
- Autoimmune liver disease
How is a patient with decompensated cirrhosis assessed/managed?
Decompensated cirrhosis bundle (first 24 hours)
How is chronic liver disease diagnosed?
- Ultrasound (Cancer, Bile ducts, Blood vessels, Portal hypertension) +/- CT / MRCP
- Liver ‘screen’
- Chronic viral hepatitis : HBV, HCV
- Autoimmune liver disease
- ANA / SMA / LKM (AIH); AMA (PBC); Immunoglogulins (A –alcohol/NAFLD M – PBC G-AIH)
- Metabolic liver disease
- Ferritin (haemochromatosis); Caeruloplasmin (Wilson’s Disease); a1 anti-trypsin deficiency
- Alpha 1 anti-trypsin deficiency - high in acute phase but low chronically
- Ferritin (haemochromatosis); Caeruloplasmin (Wilson’s Disease); a1 anti-trypsin deficiency
What is the cause of persistent symptoms in coeliac disease?
- Non-compliant to gluten free diet
- TTG stays positive with ongoing exposure - can be used as guide to non-compliance
- Wrong diagnosis – look at differential again
- Lymphocytic collitis
- IBS + coeliac
- T1DM – autonomic neuropathy
- Refractory coeliac – rare
- Steroids, chemo, biologics
Repeat OGD and biopsy - evidence of persistent villous atrophy suggests refractory coeliac
Potential for small bowel imaging (investigate possible enteropathy-associated T cell lymphoma)
How can cholecystitis be seen on imaging?
- US best modality - identify stones which cause inflammation
- Acoustic shadow indicates stones
- Thickening of GB wall
- Can identify which area is tender w/ US probe and see corresponding stone/inflammation
Where is GGT found/produced?
- In liver - ALL
- Alcohol/drug metabolism
- Smoking can induce a rise in GGT
What are the causes of fatty liver disease (steatosis and steatohepatitis)?
- Drug injury
- Alcohol
- Metabolic syndrome e.g. obesity
What would you ask in a patient presenting with PR bleeding?
- Presenting complaint
- Duration, character of blood, altered bowel habit
- Systemic enquiry
- Appetite, weight loss, symptoms of possible anaemia
- Drug history
- Any drugs which might cause bleeding e.g. Warfarin, NSAID
- Family history
- Colitis or colorectal neoplasia
- Social history
Describe the transmission of hepatitis D
- Transmission same as Hep B
- Vertical Tm rare
- Acquired by:
- Co-infection with HBV
- Super-infection of chronic HBV carriers
- Increases risk of chronic liver disease
Describe the clinical approach to liver disease
- History, symptoms and signs by examination
- Investigations:
- Blood tests: LFTs, haematology, viral and autoimmune serology, metabolic tests
- Radiology: usu. at least ultrasound
- Usually yields firm diagnosis without biopsy but at least should tell us
- Diffuse liver disease?
- Space-occupying lesion?
- Try to avoid biopsy - complications
Give examples of causes of small bowel obstruction
- Inguinal/obturator foramen hernia
- Colon cancer - distal small bowel obstruction (caecum)
- Gallstone ileus - inflamed gallbladder eroded into small bowel, stone moves into ileum and causes obstruction
What are the ‘red flags’ in a lower GI tract history?
- Abd pain
- Persistent, w/ anaemia, change in bowel habit
- Blood in stool
- Weight loss
- Mass in abd
- IDA
- Anal lesions – ulcer, mass
How can the severity of chronic liver disease be assessed?
Childs-Turcotte-Pugh Score:
- Encephalopathy
- 1 - none
- 2 - grade 1-2
- 3 - grade 3-4
- Ascites
- 1 - none
- 2 - slight
- 3 - moderate
- Bilirubin
- 1 - <25
- 2 - 25-50
- 3 - >50
- Albumin
- 1 - >35
- 2 - 28-35
- 3 - <28
- Prothrombin time prolongation
- 1 - <4
- 2 - 4-6
- 3 - >6
Grade A (5-6) = mild
Grade B (7-9) = moderate
Grade C (10-15) = severe
- Transplant/end of life care
When should surgery be considered in ulcerative colitis?
- Stool frequency >8/day or >3 and CRP >45 on Day 3 predicts need for colectomy in 85%
- Consider surgery or rescue medical Rx with Infliximab or Ciclosporin
What is Rigler’s sign?
- Rigler’s sign - gas on both sides of bowel wall indicates pneumoperitoneum
How can a diagnosis of candida oesophagitis be confirmed?
PAS stain confirms spores and hyphae of candida albicans
Describe the dysplasia which can develop as a response to Barrett’s oesophagus
- Dysplasia represents a spectrum of morphological changes
- ‘Indefinite for dysplasia‘
- Low grade dysplasia
- High grade dysplasia
- Dysplastic epithelium is architecturally and cytologically abnormal
- Inflammation/reactive changes can mimic dysplasia
Describe the classification of the severity of coeliac
Marsh Classification
- Marsh 0 - no change
- Marsh 1 - increased no. of intra-epithelial lymphocytes
- Marsh 2 - proliferation of the crypts of Leiberkuhn
- Marsh 3a - partial villous atrophy
- Marsh 3b - subtotal villous atrophy
- Marsh 3c - total villous atrophy
Describe the histological appearance of the oesophageal lining in candida oesophagitis
Active chronic inflammation w/ many neutrophils, especially near luminal surface of epithelium
What steps have to be taken for a colorectal cancer specimen to be evaluated in the pathology department?
- Specimen inspected, opened or incised if necessary for good fixation
- Fixed specimen dissected, tissue samples selected
- Processed for histology: embedded in paraffin wax
- Sections cut and stained
- Interpretation by pathologist
- Report written, checked, authorised, issued
Describe the types of cholangiocarcinomas
- Classified as intrahepatic / extrahepatic depending on origin
- Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma needs to be distinguished from metastatic adenocarcinoma (which may have similar histology) and hepatocellular carcinoma
- Extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma has similar morphology and prognosis to pancreatic carcinoma. Treatment is currently Whipple’s operation to remove common bile duct and involved pancreas/duodenum. Trials likely to start looking at value of neoadjuvant therapy.
What is faecal elastase? How is it used clinically?
- Elastase - pancreatic enzyme
- Helps to break down connective tissue
- Present in serum, urine, faeces
- Doesn’t undergo significant degradation during intestinal transit - useful marker of pancreatic activity
- Low faecal elastase (<500) indicates pancreatic exocrine insufficiency
What can be seen on plain abdominal film in inflammation of the large bowel?
- Silhouette between gas and bowel wall irregular/lumpy
- Abnormal haustrations - thickened, oedematous
- Colonic wall thickening
- Burnt out colitis - previous chronic inflammation, not currently actively inflamed
- Hosepipe appearance - straightened, no haustrations
How can the common bile duct be investigated?
- US
- MRCP
- Endoscopic US
- Operative cholangiogram
Describe the anatomy of the biliary system
- R and L hepatic ducts drain bile produced by liver
- Join to form common hepatic duct
- Cystic duct connects gallbladder to common hepatic duct, continue as common bile duct
- Common bile duct + pancreatic duct –> hepatopancreatic ampulla of Vater, empty into the second part of the duodenum
- Flow of bile/pancreatic fluid controlled by sphincter of Oddi - smooth muscle around ampulla
How long is the incubation period of hepatitis E?
40 days
Why is liver disease important?
5th most common cause of death in the UK
What causes acute cholestasis or cholestatic hepatitis?
Extrahepatic biliary obstruction
Drug injury e.g. antibiotics
List the causes of upper GI bleeding and how prevelant they are
- Peptic ulcer 36%
- Due to acid, H. Pylori, NSAIDs
- Oesophagitis 24%
- Gastritis 22%
- Duodenitis 13%
- Varices 11%
- Malignancy 4%
- Mallory-Weiss tear 4%
- Other 3%
How can acute and chronic hepatitis be distinguished histologically?
Histological difference between acute and chronic hepatitis = fibrosis
Can be clinically but not histologically chronic
How can patients be protected against Hepatitis A infection?
- Hepatitis A vaccine
- Inactivated virus
- 95% efficacy after 4 weeks
- Immunity for 1 year
- 2nd dose (booster) gives life protection
- Pre-exposure
- Travellers/homosexual men/IVDU/chronic liver disease patients
- Post-exposure
- Outbreak control
- Hepatitis A immune globulin
- Pooled immunoglobulin
- Pre-exposure if
- Vaccine allergic
- <4 weeks to travel
- Confers 3-6 months immunity
- Post-exposure
- Outbreak control
What are the risk factors for hepatitis C infection?
- IDU (80% of heroin users exposed) includes cocaine / steroids
- Iatrogenic: blood transfusion ( esp. pre 1991), unsterilised equipment (poorer resourced healthcare environments)
- Sexual transmission:
- Multiple partners / anal sex
- Monogamous couple lower risk
- Vertical transmission:
- Approx. 3% rate
- Needle-stick transmission
- Approx. 5 - 10% rate
NO RISK FACTORS IN 5-10% OF PATIENTS
What is the significance of venous invasion of cancers?
Adverse prognostic feature
Describe the histology of acute cholestasis or cholestatic hepatitis
Brown bile (bilirubin) pigment +/- acute hepatitis
What causes acute pancreatitis?
- 30% secondary to gallstones
- Gallstone blocking ampulla of Vater - bile reflux into pancreatic duct
- 50% secondary to alcohol abuse
- 20% other causes including post ERCP (stretches ampulla, risk of backflow), hypercalcaemia, drugs (e.g. azathioprine), mumps
Describe the patterns of drug induced liver disease
- Drugs can cause almost any pattern of liver disease
- Therefore usually will be in differential diagnosis for cause, esp. acute hepatitis and acute cholestasis/cholestatic hepatitis
- Most drug hepatotoxicity idiosyncratic (rare but usually single clinical pattern) thus difficult to investigate e.g. Augmentin (co-amoxiclav: may cause acute cholestatic hepatitis)
- Occasional predictable liver damage e.g. paracetamol, methotrexate
- Don’t forget non-prescribed drugs e.g. over internet or herbal
How is the severity of hepatic encephalopathy graded?
Conn Score (West Haven Classification) for Grading Mental State in hepatic encephalopathy:
- Grade 0 - no personality or behavioural abnormality detected
- Grade 1 - lack of awareness, euphoria or anxiety, shortened attention span, impaired performance of addition
- Grade 2 - lethargy or apathy, minimal disorientation for time or place, subtle personality change, inappropriate behaviour, impaired performance of subtraction
- Grade 3 - somnolence to semi-stupor, but responsive to verbal stimuli, confusion, gross disorientation
- Grade 4 - coma (unresponsive to verbal or noxious stimuli)
Describe the lymphatic spread and treatment of head/neck cancers
- Head and neck cancers may spread to LN in neck, usually ipsilateral
- Radical neck dissection - 20 LN removed
- No carcinoma cells identified in any of the removed LN - chemo/radiotherapy not given
How are structures seen on plain abdominal film?
- Structures outlined by fat allows visualisation = silhouette sign (differences in densities outlines structures)
What are the risk factors for head/neck cancers?
- Smoking and alcohol - not strictly causal
- HPV in some cases - tonsil, oropharynx
How is coeliac diagnosed?
- Serology
- Coeliac specific markers
- Blood film - Howell-Jolly bodes indicated functional hyposplenism
- Iron, B12, folate, Mg, Ca - malabsorption
- CRP, ESR - inflammation
- TFTs, U+Es, LFTs, FBC - rule out differential, check organ function
- Stool culture
- Rule out infective gastroenteritis
- Ask about travel history
- Faecal elastase - rule out pancreatic insufficiency
- Occult blood/Qfit test - blood in stool
- Crohns/UC, malignancy
- Calprotectin - non-specific marker for gut inflammation
- CXR - exclude malignancy/TB
- OGD and duodenal biopsy
What are the potential sites for upper GI bleeding?
Due to bleeding source from oesophagus, stomach or duodenum
How prevalent is the presentation of an acute abdomen?
5-10% ER attendances
Describe the use of blood products in UGI bleeding
- Transfuse blood once Hb <7-8g/dL
- Transfuse platelets if actively bleeding and platelet count <50x10^9/L
- FFP if INR > 1.5
- Prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) if on warfarin and active bleeding
Describe the prevalence of Crohn’s disease
- Smoking (2x commoner in smokers)
- Stopping reduces relapse rate, need for immunosuppression and surgery
- Female = Male
- Peak incidence 15-25y
Describe the clinical features of hepatitis E
- Similar to Hepatitis A plus rare reports of neurological effects
- Diarrhoeal illness, hepatitis
- Case-fatality rate: 1 - 3%, higher in Pregnant women for some genotypes (genotype 1)
- Treatment: Supportive
- No Vaccine
- Chronic Hep E is seen in very immunosuppressed patients, e.g. bone marrow transplants. Treatment with Ribavirin
Which imaging modalities are used to see inflammation in the abdomen?
- AXR useful for colitis
- AXR signs not specific in other inflammatory conditions
- US for cholecystitis (and appendicitis if young and slim)
What does the eAg indicate about HBV infection?
- eAg +ve (early disease)
- High Viral Load
- High risk of CLD and HCC
- Highly infectious
- eAg –ve (late disease)
- Low viral load
- Lower risk of CLD and HCC
- Less infectious
What guidelines are available for management of upper GI bleeding?
- UK (NICE) guidelines 2012
- European guidelines 2015
- Asia-Pacific guidelines 2018
- UK (BSG) varices guidelines 2015
- European varices guidelines 2015
- USA varices guidelines 2017
Describe the risk of colorectal cancer in ulcerative colitis
- 5 years - 1%
- 10 years - 5%
- 30 years - 20%
Depends on extent, inflammation, pseudopolyps and FH
Describe the features of diffuse gastric cancer
- Individual malignant cells with mucin vacuoles (‘signet ring’ cells)
- May invade extensively without being endoscopically obvious, so called linitis plastica (‘leather bottle stomach’)
- Weaker link with gastritis.
- Metastasis to ovaries (‘Krukenberg tumour’)
- Supraclavicular lymph node (‘Virchow’s node’)
- ‘Sister Joseph’s nodule’ (umbilical metastasis)
How is an acute abdomen diagnosed?
- Careful clinical assessment paramount
- History
- Physical examination
- Blood workup
- Then think imaging
What are the signs/symptoms of carcinoma of the pancreas?
- Painless obstructive jaundice
- Painless more worrying than painful - bile duct can’t contract against obstruction, more worrying than painful jaundice
- New onset diabetes
- Abdominal pain due to pancreatic insufficiency or nerve invasion.
- Tumours in head may obstruct pancreatic duct and bile duct – “double duct sign” on radiology
How can H. Pylori infection be identified histologically?
Cresyl violet stain
List the most common types colorectal cancers
- Not all malignant intestinal tumours are adenocarcinomas, but majority are
- Other epithelial tumours are found less frequently
- E.g. Neuroendocrine neoplasms, squamous cell carcinoma, metastatic carcinoma, adenosquamous carcinoma
- Non-epithelial tumours can also be encountered
- E.g. Gastro intestinal stromal tumours (GISTs), melanoma and lymphomas may all occur as primary tumours arising in small or large intestines
Describe the surgical management of Crohn’s disease
- 70% lifetime risk of surgery
- LyRIC trial suggests outcomes = biologics
- Recurrence common (50% further surgery)
Describe the prevalence of hepatitis B
- 300 million carriers worldwide
- 2 million deaths per year
- Vaccine preventable since 1981
- HBV vaccination included in immunisation schedule in most countries
- 0.3% UK population (180,000) infected
What are colorectal polyps?
- Polyp = exophytic protuberant growth
- Example of bowel polyps include
- Hamartomatous polyps
- Inflammatory polyps
- Hyperplastic polyps
- Adenomas
What are the causes of painless jaundice?
- Pre-hepatic
- Haemolytic causes – malaria, haemolytic anaemia etc.
- Gilbert’s syndrome
- Intrahepatic
- Hepatitis – viral, AI, drug-induced
- Alcoholic liver disease
- Wilson’s disease, haemochromatosis
- Hepatocellular carcinoma
- Iatrogenic – medication
- Primary biliary cirrhosis (young men), primary sclerosing cholangitis (older women w/ RA)
- Post-hepatic
- Gallstones
- Pancreatic tumours
- Abd lymphoma
- Cholangiocarcinoma
- Drug induced
Describe the diagnosis of AI hepatitis
- Transaminases + immunoglobulins raised, negative for viral hepatitis, high titres for circulating autoantibodies (>1:40)
- Do liver biopsy to confirm – serious complications if undiagnosed/untreated
- Unless serious co-morbidity or contraindication
- Interface hepatitis - inflammation of hepatocytes at junction of portal tract and hepatic parenchymal - is typical
- Grade of inflammation and stage of fibrosis in liver biopsy are described using validated pathological index
Describe the clinical features of hepatitis A
- Incubation period ≈30 days
- Age is main determinant of severity
- Mostly asymptomatic in children < 5 yrs
- Mortality rate 1.5% if > 50 year
- No specific treatments
- Maintain hydration, avoid alcohol
- Usually self-limiting illness
- No role for Vaccine or IgG as treatment
Describe the clinical spectrum of alcoholic liver disease
- Malaise
- Nausea
- Itch
- Hepatomegaly
- Fever
- Jaundice
- Sepsis
- Encephalopathy
- Liver failure
- Ascites
- Renal failure
- Death
From incidental –> clinical
Steatosis/hepatitis –> cirrhosis
What risk scores are used for upper GI bleeding?
- Endoscopic
- Rockall
- Clinical
- ‘Admission’ Rockall
- Glasgow Blatchford
- AIMS 65
What is the model for end-stage liver disease?
- Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) originally used for post-TIPSS prognosis.
- Now used to allocate donor organs in USA for liver transplant.
- Adjusted formula with Sodium (low = bad) used in UK
‘Mild’: <10 ‘Moderate’: 10-15 ‘Severe’: >15
How can progression of Barrett’s oesophagus be prevented?
- Role of surveillance / screening controversial
- Four biopsies (aka Seattle Protocol) every 2cm effective at finding dysplasia, but laborious
- Targeted biopsy may eventually replace it with improvements in endoscopy
- Endoscopic treatments may avoid need for radical surgery
- Radiofrequency ablation - reduced cancer risk
What is hepatic encephalopathy?
Hepatic encephalopathy is a disease caused by the failure of the cirrhotic liver to remove toxins (nitrogenous - ammonia) from the blood, which ultimately negatively affects the brains function
Describe metastatic liver tumours
- Most common form of liver tumour
- From colon, rectum, pancreas, stomach, oesophagus, breast, lung, melanoma etc.
When should a patient with IBD be admitted to hospital?
Stools >6/day and systemic upset
Describe fat necrosis happen in acute pancreatitis
- E.g. omentum
- Autodigestions of tissue by pancreatic enzymes
How long is the incubation period of hepatitis C?
Average 6-7 weeks
Describe the macroscopic findings seen in Crohn’s disease
- Small bowel stricture
- Cobblestone like intestinal surface
- Fissure
- Thickened wall
- Fat wrapping
How does acute pancreatitis present?
- Severe upper abdominal pain
- Fever
- Leukocytosis
- Raised serum amylase
Describe the treatment of Crohn’s disease
- 5-ASA/Masalazine
- Cochrane review - no benefit vs placebo for inducing remission or response in active SB Crohn’s
- May be a role in post-operative prophylaxis and prevention of CRC
- Thiopurines
- Azathioprine and 6-Mercaptopurine
- Induction of remission - no benefit vs placebo
- Maintenance Rx - OR 2.32, NNT = 6
- Azathioprine and 6-Mercaptopurine
- Methotrexate
- Induction
- 25mg/wk IM 16/52
- 39.4% remission vs 19.1% placebo
- Maintenance
- 15mg/wk IM
- ?PO
- Induction
- Biologics
- TNF alpha anatagonists
- Infliximab/adalimumab (biosimilars)
- Anti-integrins (alpha4beta7)
- Vedolizumab
- Anti-il12/23
- Ustekinumab
- TNF alpha anatagonists
Describe the histological appearance of acute hepatitis
- Diffuse hepatocyte injury seen as swelling
- Some cell death described as spotty necrosis
- Inflammatory cell infiltrate in all areas - portal tracts, interface and parenchyma
- Higher power can see dying hepatocytes (called acidophil bodies) and plasma cells prominent in the inflammatory cells
Define cirrhosis
- = End-stage liver disease
- Definition is three-fold:
- Diffuse process with
- Fibrosis &
- Nodule formation
Describe the features of clinically relevant alcoholic hepatitis
- Essential Features
- Excess alcohol within 2 months
- Bilirubin > 80mmol/l for less than 2 months
- Exclusion of other liver disease
- Treatment of Sepsis/ GI Bleeding
- AST < 500 (AST: ALT ratio >1.5)
- Characteristic Features
- Hepatomegaly ± fever ± leucocytosis ± hepatic bruit
- SHORT-TERM MORTALITY AS HIGH AS 60%
What specific points would you look for when examining a patient presenting with PR bleeding?
Any signs of anaemia (general pallor, conjunctiva, palmar creases, tongue, nails
Abdomen - any palpable masses? Is the liver palpable? Any evidence of malnutrition?
Digital rectal examination.
How is portal fibrosis viewed histologically?
Masson stain
How does the ileocaecal valve determine how colonic obstruction will present?
- Colonic obstruction - ileocaecal valve open, gas fills small bowel
- If ileocaecal valve not open caecum will distend
- Longer obstruction before presentation
- Abdominal pain and constipation, maybe vomiting because small bowel distended
Describe the structure and function of the oesophagus
- Food + saliva from pharynx to stomach
- 4 layers
- Mucosa - non-keratinising stratified squamous
- Muscularis mucosae
- Submucosa
- Muscularis propria
- Adventitia
- Mucosa - non-keratinising stratified squamous
What causes chronic biliary/cholestatic disease?
- Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC)
- Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)
Describe the features of hepatocellular carcinomas
- Most common primary liver tumour
- Usually arises in cirrhosis and associated with elevated serum AFP (alpha feto-protein)
- Screening available
How can NAFLD and ALD be distinguished based on:
- Weight
- Fasting plasma glucose/HbA1c
- Reported daily alcohol intake
- ALT
- AST
- ALT:AST ratio
- GGT
- Triglycerides
- HDL cholesteriol
- Mean corpuscular volume?
- Weight
- NAFLD - elevated
- ALD - variable
- Fasting plasma glucose or HbA1c
- NAFLD - often elevated
- ALD - usually normal
- Reported daily alcohol intake
- NAFLD - <20g female and <30g male
- ALD - >20g female and >30g male
- ALT
- NAFLD - elevated or normal
- ALD - elevated or normal
- AST
- NAFLD - normal
- ALD - elevated
- AST/ALT ratio
- NAFLD - <0.8 (>0.8 more advanced disease)
- ALD - >1.5
- GGT
- NAFLD - elevated or normal
- ALD - markedly elevated
- Triglycerides
- NAFLD - elevated
- ALD - variable, may be markedly elevated
- HDL cholesterol
- NAFLD - low
- ALD - elevated
- Mean corpuscular volume
- NAFLD - normal
- ALD - elevated
How can acute hepatitis C infection progress?
- Newly infected (acute) - 25% symptomatic
- Chronic infection 70%
- Clear infection 30%
- Chronic infection
- Cirrhosis 25%
- HCC 1-5%
What information can a pathologist provide about resected colorectal cancers?
- Confirmation of the diagnosis
- Evaluation of whether complete resection had been achieved (margins)
- Quality of surgery
- Complete excision
- Number of lymph nodes in specimen
- Evaluation of response by the carcinoma to chemotherapy
- Pathological staging and other prognostic information
What are the aims of investigation in diffuse liver disease?
- Establish diagnosis in terms of pattern (morphology) of disease
- Establish cause, if possible
- If appropriate, establish grade of disease (severity = activity of inflammation)
- If chronic liver disease, establish stage (severity of fibrosis i.e. how far towards cirrhosis)
How can GI perforations be imaged?
- CXR sensitive for free gas (80% sensitive down to few mls of free gas)
- AXR less so - can be very subtle
- CT to confirm and look for cause
Describe the prognosis of carcinoma of the pancreas
- I in 8 patients alive I year after diagnosis
- 5 year survival is only 7 %
- No change in 5 year survival expectancy in past 40 years
- Predicted to be 3rd most common cause of cancer deaths by 2030
Describe the prevalence of upper GI bleeding in the UK
- 1993 4%
- 2007 8%
- Due to rise in - alcohol, hepatitis C and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
What pathologies can affect the oesophagus?
- Infections
- Candida albicans (fungus)
- Herpes simplex virus
- Inflammation – chemicals
- Peptic oesophagitis / GORD: reflux of acid, bile
- Caustics: lye (NaOH, caustic soda)
- Pills: iron, bisphosphonates, tetracyclines, etc
- If not swallowed properly can irritate oesophageal lining
- Diverticula, achalasia, Schatzki ring, systemic sclerosis, hiatus hernia etc.
Describe the sensitivity of imaging modalities in the diagnosis of Crohn’s disease
- MRI - 90.5%
- CT - 95.2%
- SBE/Ba M&FT - 74-82%
Where is alkaline phosphatase found?
- In liver - canaliculi
- Bone e.g. growing, pregnancy, bone disorders e.g. Paget’s, bone mets
How does the age at time of infection of hepatitis B effect the outcome?
- Age at the time of infection determines:
- Severity of acute illness
- Risk of Chronic HBV Infection (CHB)
- Infection at birth/young child is usually asymptomatic but leads to chronic infection
- Infection as an adults is usually symptomatic but is cleared
What are the symptoms of hepatocellular carcinoma?
- Weight loss, abdo pain, fever
- Cachexia
- Mass in abdomen
- Bloody ascites
What are the components of gallstones?
- Can be pure - cholesterol or bile pigment
- Most are mixed
How is the severity of ulcerative colitis classified?
Truelove and Witts classification of severity of UC
- Number of bloody stools per day
- Mild - <4
- Moderate - 4-6
- Severe - >6
- Temperature
- Mild - afebrile
- Moderate - intermediate
- Severe - >37.8
- Heart rate (bpm)
- Mild - normal
- Moderate - intermediate
- Severe - >90
- Haemoglobin (g/dl)
- Mild - >11
- Moderate 10-5-11
- Severe - <10.5
- ESR (mm/h)
- Mild - <20
- Moderate - 20-30
- Severe - >30