Items tagged “gastrointestinal”

Adynamic ileus is the failure of passage of enteric contents through the small bowel and colon that are not mechanically obstructed; i.e. it represents a paralysis of intestinal motility. Clinical presentation Patients may be asymptomatic or present with symptoms similar to mechanical bowel ob...

Afferent loop syndrome is an intermittent partial or complete mechanical obstruction of the afferent limb of a gastrojejunostomy. The syndrome classically refers to obstruction of the upstream limb of a side-to-side gastrojejunostomy but has also been used to refer to the biliopancreatic limb o...

Blind loop syndrome (or "blind pouch syndrome") is an event that may occur after an end-to-end or end-to-side bowel anastomosis. Dilatation and stasis of the bypassed bowel may lead to bacterial overgrowth, breakdown of bile salts, and result in nutritional problems. It may even eventually lead ...

Barrett esophagus is a term for intestinal metaplasia of the esophagus. It is considered the precursor lesion for esophageal adenocarcinoma. Epidemiology Barrett esophagus is thought to have a prevalence of 3-15% in patients with reflux esophagitis. Mean age at diagnosis is 55 years old 5. Ri...

Peroral pneumocolon is a technique that can be used during a small bowel follow through (SBFT) to better visualize the ascending colon and terminal ileum. Procedure The goal of a peroral pneumocolon is to create a double contrast study (oral contrast and gas) of the ascending colon and termina...

A radiologically inserted gastrostomy (RIG) is a procedure where a tube is inserted percutaneously into the stomach, principally to provide nutritional support for patients with swallowing disorders 1. Indications inadequate oral intake due to dysphagia (neurologic disorder, esophageal obstruc...

Fecal impaction is the inability to spontaneously evacuate solid feces. It is common in the elderly population. A severe form of fecal impaction is often referred to as a fecaloma.  Terminology Fecal loading is a poorly defined term but generally refers to the volume of fecal material in the c...

Falciform ligament hernias (alternative plural: herniae) are a very rare type of internal hernia occurring through a defect in the falciform ligament. Epidemiology Exceedingly rare, thought to comprise just 0.2% of all internal hernias 4. Associations laparoscopic surgery 2 Clinical present...

The right gastric vein, also known as pyloric vein, forms part of the venous drainage network of the stomach and proximal duodenum. It is a tributary of the portal vein. Gross anatomy Location The right gastric vein courses parallel to the right gastric artery adjacent to the lesser curvature...

An esophageal balloon tamponade device is a form of balloon catheter designed to exert direct pressure on bleeding gastro-esophageal varices in order to obtain hemostasis. It is considered a temporizing measure in hemodynamically unstable patients in whom endoscopic (or angiographic) interventio...