Exocrine Pancreas, Gallbladder, and Liver Pathology Flashcards
(105 cards)
ANNULAR PANCREAS
Developmental malformation in which the pancreas forms a ring around the duodenum
risk of duodenal obstruction
ACUTE PANCREATITIS
- Pathogenesis? $ Which enzyme is most responsible for this disease?*
- Type of damage that occurs?*
- Major causes?*
Inflammation and hemorrhage of the pancreas
- Due to autodigestion of pancreatic parenchyma by pancreatic enzymes: Premature activation of trypsin leads to activation of other pancreatic enzymes.
- liquefactive hemorrhagic necrosis of the pancreas and fat necrosis of the peripancreatic fat
- Most commonly due to alcohol and gallstones; other causes include trauma,hypercalcemia, hyperlipidemia, drugs, scorpion stings, mumps, and rupture of a
posterior duodenal ulcer.
ACUTE PANCREATITIS
Clinical features
- Epigastric abdominal pain that radiates to the back.
- Nausea and vomiting
- Periumbilical and flank hemorrhage (necrosis spreads into the periumbilical soft tissue and retroperitoneum)
- Elevated serum lipase and amylase; lipase is more specific for pancreatic damage.
- Hypocalcemia (calcium is consumed during saponification in fat necrosis)
ACUTE PANCREATITIS
Complications
- Shock -due to peripancreatic hemorrhage and fluid sequestration
- Pancreatic pseudocyst - formed by fibrous tissue surrounding liquefactive necrosis and pancreatic enzymes
- Presents as an abdominal mass with persistently elevated serum amylase
- Rupture is associated with release of enzymes into the abdominal cavity and hemorrhage.
- Presents as an abdominal mass with persistently elevated serum amylase
- Pancreatic abscess - often due toE coli; presents with abdominal pain, high fever, and persistently elevated amylase
- ** DIC** (enzymes get into blood and activate coagulation enzymes) and ARDS - Chew on alveolar-capillary interface.
CHRONIC PANCREATITIS
Clinical features
Fibrosis of pancreatic parenchyma, most often secondary to recurrent acute pancreatitis Most commonly due to alcohol (adults) and cystic fibrosis (children); however, many cases are idiopathic.
- Epigastric abdominal pain that radiates to the back
- Pancreatic insufficiency- results in malabsorption with steatorrhea and fatsoluble vitamin deficiencies. Amylase and lipase are not useful serologic markers of chronic pancreatitis.
- Dystrophic calcification of pancreatic parenchyma on imaging; contrast studies reveal a ‘chain of lakes’ pattern due to dilatation of pancreatic ducts.
- Secondary diabetes mellitus-late complication due to destruction of islets
- Increased risk for pancreatic carcinoma
PANCREATIC CARCINOMA
$ Risk factors
Clinical features
Serum tumor marker
Prognosis
Adenocarcinoma arising from the pancreatic ducts - Most commonly seen in the elderly (average age is 70 years)
- $ Major risk factors are smoking and chronic pancreatitis
- Epigastric abdominal pain and weight loss
- Obstructive jaundice with pale stools and palpable gallbladder; associated with tumors that arise in the head of the pancreas (most common location)
- $ Secondary diabetes mellitus; associated with tumors that arise in the body or tail (Thin elderly female presenting with diabetes)
- Pancreatitis
- Migratory thrombophlebitis (Trousseau sign); presents as swelling, erythema, and tenderness in the extremities (seen in 10% of patients)
- Serum tumor marker is CA 19-9
Very poor prognosis;1-year survival is < 10%.
Whipple procedure
Treatment for Pancreatic Carcinoma: Surgical resection involves en bloc removal of the head and neck of pancreas,proximal duodenum, and gallbladder
Elderly female presents with diabetes mellitus for the first time. What should be on your differential diagnosis?
Pancreatic carcinoma - Tumors that arise in the **body or tail of the pancreas **may be associated with secondary diabetes mellitus.
BILIARY ATRESIA
- Leads to:*
- Presentation*
Failure to form or early destruction of extrahepatic biliary tree
- Leads to biliary obstruction within the first 3 months of life.
- Presents with jaundice and progresses to cirrhosis
CHOLELITHIASIS
Cause
GALLSTONES
Solid, round stones in the gallbladder.
Due to precipitation of cholesterol (cholesterol stones) or bilirubin (bilirubin stones) in bile.
- Arises with (1) supersaturation of cholesterol or bilirubin, (2) decreased phospholipids (e.g., lecithin) or bile acids (normally increase solubility), or (3) stasis - allows deconjugation
- Drugs like cholestyramine - binds bile acids and decreased bile acids cause precipitation of cholesterol.
Most common type of gallstone?
Risk factors?
Cholesterol stones (yellow) are the most common type (90%), especially in the West
- Usually radiolucent (10% are radiopaque due to associated calcium)
- Risk factors include age (40s), estrogen (female gender, obesity, multiple pregnancies and oral contraceptives), clofibrate, Native American ethnicity,
Crohn disease, and cirrhosis.
Bilirubin stones
- Risk factors*
- Clinical presentation of all gallstones*
- Complications*
Pigmented, composed of bilirubincomposed of bilirubin
- Risk factors include extravascular hemolysis from splenic macrophages (increased bilirubin in bile) and biliary tract infection (e.g., E coli, Ascaris lumbricoides, and Clonorchis sinensis)
- usually asymptomatic
- Complications include biliary colic, acute and chronic cholecystitis, ascending cholangitis, gallstone ileus, and gallbladder cancer.
Types of gallstones
- Cholesterol stones (yellow) most common type (90%), radiolucent, caused by decreased bile acids, stasis, or supersaturatio of cholesterol.
- Bilirubin stones (pigmented) made of bilirubin, usually radiopaque, casued by supersaturation of bilirubin, risk factors include: extravascular hemolysis or biliary tract infections.
BILIARY COLIC
- Cause*
- Complication*
Waxing and waning right upper quadrant pain - Due to the gallbladder contracting against a stone lodged in the cystic duct. Common bile duct obstruction may result in acute pancreatitis or obstructive jaundice.
ACUTE CHOLECYSTITIS
- Pathogenesis*
- $ Presentation*
- Risks if untreated*
Acute inflammation of the gallbladder wall
- Impacted stone in the cystic duct results in dilatation with pressure ischemia,bacterial overgrowth (E coli), and inflammation.
- Presents with right upper quadrant pain, often radiating to right scapula, fever with increased WBC count, nausea, vomiting, and increased serum alkaline phosphatase (from duct damage)
- Rupture if untreated
CHRONIC CHOLECYSTITIS
Cause
$ Hallmark
- Clinical presentation*
- Late complication*
- Risks if untreated*
Chronic inflammation of the gallbladder
- Due to chemical irritation from longstanding cholelithiasis +/- bouts of cholecystitis.
- $ Characterized by herniation of gallbladder mucosa into the muscular wall (Rokitansky-Aschoff sinus)
- Presents with vague right upper quadrant pain, especially after eating
- Porcelain gallbladder is a late complication - Shrunken, hard gallbladder due to chronic inflammation, fibrosis, and dystrophic calcification
Increased risk for carcinoma. Treatment is cholecystectomy, especially if porcelain gallbladder is present.
ASCENDING CHOLANGITIS
- Cause*
- Presentation*
- When is there increased incidence of this condition?*
Bacterial infection of the bile ducts
- Usually due to ascending infection with enteric gram-negative bacteria
- Presents as sepsis (high fever and chills), jaundice, and abdominal pain
- Increased incidence with choledocholithiasis (stone in biliary ducts)
GALLSTONE ILEUS
Cause?
Gallstone enters and obstructs the small bowel - Due to cholecystitis with fistula formation between the gallbladder and small bowel
GALLBLADDER CARCINOMA
- Major risk factors*
- Classic presentation*
- prognosis*
_Adenocarcinoma arising from the glandular epithelium that lines the gallbladderwall _
- Gallstones are a major risk factor, especially when complicated by porcelain gallbladder.
- Classically presents as cholecystitis in an elderly woman
- Poor prognosis
A 45 year old man presents with right upper quadrant pain especially after eating. No symptoms in the past. Most likely diagnosis?
Chronic cholecystitis - inflammation of the gallbladder most likely due to chemical irritation from longstanding cholelithiasis
An elderly woman presents with right upper quadrant pain, especially after eating. What should be on your differential diagnosis?
Presentation of cholecystitis in an elderly woman should be highly suscpective of gallbladder carcinoma - adenocarcinoma arising from the glandular epithelium that lines the gallbladder.
Most common cause of RUQ
Cholecystitis
Cholelithiasis
Gallstones
Cholecystitis
Inflammation/infection of the gall bladder
