Crohn’s Colitis Flashcards
(45 cards)
CD
- Chronic inflammatory disorder
- Populations with Northern European and Jewish heritage exhibit the highest incidence of CD.
- Bimodal peaks around ages 20 and 50
- The environmental factors
- Genetic Factors
- Smoking
Name some of the Factors
- Environmental factors :
gastrointestinal infection
chronic use of NSAID
exposure to antibiotics - Disruption in the integrity of the intestinal mucosa and natural gut flora
- Smoking > Active and passive smoking + previous history of smoking
- Genetic > MLH1, a DNA mismatch repair gene, and in CARD15, a nuclear factor-kappa B transcription factor.
Notable characteristics pointing toward Crohns
- Skip lesions
- rectal sparing
- longitudinal ulcers
- intestinal and perianal fistulizing disease
- mucosal cobblestoning
Lab Works
- C-reactive protein
- erythrocyte sedimentation rate
- fecal calprotectin
- albumin levels
- complete blood count
- basic metabolic panel.
Imaging
- x-rays abdomen > initial > free perforation and evaluate severity of colonic dilation.
- Barium enema > longitudinal or transverse ulcers, deep fissuring of the bowel wall, coarse mucosa cobblestoning, or longitudinal intramural fistulas.
- Single or double contrast ( Rarely used )
- CTE > bowel wall thickness, stricturing, intraabdominal abscess, internal hernias, and/ or extraintestinal involvement and clarify the anatomy.
- Endoscopic examination with biopsy
What Percentage of CD spares Rectum ?
40%
If UC is suspected, In Colonoscopy what to do ?
- biopsy of the rectum, even if normal appearing on visual inspection, is helpful to rule out pathologic inflammatory changes.
What is inflammatory bowel disease unclassified (IBDU) ‘‘indeterminate colitis’’
When differentiation between UC and CC not possible even under pathologic examination
MEDICAL MANAGEMENT
- bowel rest
- intravenous hydration
- antibiotics
- Nasogastric tube > if the stomach and small bowel are dilated
- Intravenous glucocorticoids > initiated early
- Serial abdominal exam
- plain radiographic films
- serologic markers > monitor disease progression.
- If symptoms do not improve in 72 hours
use of an anti-TNF antibody (infliximab) should be considered > response to anti-TNF should occur within 5 to 7 days.
emergent exploration, When ?
Acute abdomen with diffuse peritonitis, severe bleeding, and hemodynamic instability
Urgent exploration within the same hospitalization
- Toxic megacolon
- Acute large bowel obstruction unresponsive to medical management
- Intraabdominal abscess without successful control of sepsis by percutaneous drainage
Elective surgery
- Disease continues to progress despite extensive medical therapy
- Partial obstruction with fecalization of the small bowel,
- Persistent intraabdominal abscess despite percutaneous drainage and antibiotics
- Presence of high-grade dysplasia or malignancy
- Failure to thrive in children
Multidisciplinary management including
- gastroenterology
- infectious disease
- enterostomal nursing
- nutrition
- surgery
- interventional radiology
Steroids Vs immunomodulators for operative morbidity
- Dose-dependent operative morbidity with steroid therapy is well documented.
- In contrast, no clear association has been established between use of immunomodulators such as azathioprine, 6-mercaptutopurine, and methotrexate and postoperative morbidity.
what is associated with postoperative intraabdominal septic complication.
- weight loss > 10%
Enteral Vs TPN
- EEA is preferred over TPN due to maintenance of the physiologic route of nutrient absorption and avoidance of complications associated with TPN and central line placement.
- Preoperative EEA supplementation, for 3 months when feasible, has been shown to reduce the rate of postoperative septic complications.
What size of collection to Drain ?
- Any intraabdominal collection > 3 cm should be managed with percutaneous drainage with interventional radiology
What is the primary goal of preoperative optimization.
The reduction of the surrounding secondary inflammatory response to an area of severe disease or local perforation
Patients with CD are at increased risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE) , Why ?
- hypercoagulability in a proinflammatory state
- malnutrition
- anemia
- thrombocytosis
- prolonged hospital stay with limited mobility
- use of steroids.
Prophylaxis for venous thromboembolism (VTE), when to start and how long ?
- initiated during the optimization period and carried through the operation unless significant bleeding risk is present.
- The risk of VTE continues to be elevated at least 30 days after an operation, and VTE prophylaxis should be continued postoperatively.
- Judicious use of postdischarge VTE prophylaxis should be considered, especially if other risk factors are involved such as smoking, obesity, prolonged pelvic surgery, immobilization, and malignancy.
If < 20 cm colon is affected, especially in the proximal colon
- segmental resection with primary anastomosis should be considered.
- Leaving behind a segment of colon does put the patient at increased risk of recurrence
up to 62% at 5.5 years. - This risk should be clearly discussed with the patient before surgery.
Segmental colectomy
- Previous multiple small bowel resections
- < 20 cm involved segment in the proximal colon, segmental resection with or without primary anastomosis should be considered
Total abdominal colectomy (TAC)
- More than two segments of colon are involved with rectal sparing and anastomosis is deemed unsafe
- Patient is in extremis with pancolitis and a total proctocolectomy is not indicated
- Definitive diagnosis is not established, and indeterminate colitis is considered
Total proctocolectomy (TPC)
- Involvement of two or more segments of colon especially with perianal fistulizing disease
- Visible dysplasia not amenable for complete endoscopic removal
- Multifocal dysplasia, dysplasia in the surrounding flat mucosa
- Carcinoma in the setting of pancolitis