45 terms in gastroenterology
Achalasia is a motility disorder in which degeneration of the esophageal myenteric plexus causes loss of inhibitory ganglion cells. This lea…
Acute inflammation of the liver due to heavy alcohol use, usually after prolonged drinking, characterized by jaundice and liver enzyme eleva…
Acute inflammation of the gallbladder, usually triggered by a gallstone obstructing the cystic duct (calculous cholecystitis). About 5–10% o…
Rare, life-threatening complication of late pregnancy characterized by microvesicular fatty infiltration of hepatocytes, acute liver failure…
Acute inflammation of the liver (hepatitis lasting <6 months) due to hepatocyte injury from various causes. Viral infection is the most freq…
Acute inflammation of the pancreas due to premature enzyme activation causing autodigestion of pancreatic tissue; typically triggered by a g…
Spectrum of liver injury due to chronic alcohol use, ranging from reversible fatty infiltration to life-threatening hepatitis and irreversib…
It's when the vermiform appendix (a small pouch off the colon) becomes acutely inflamed, usually due to a blockage of its opening (often a h…
Abnormal fluid accumulation in the peritoneal cavity; often due to portal hypertension (e.g., decompensated cirrhosis).
Chronic, immune-mediated liver inflammation (hepatitis) caused by autoimmunity. Characterized by circulating autoantibodies (ANA, smooth mus…
Intestinal metaplasia of the distal esophagus caused by chronic acid reflux, where normal squamous lining is replaced by columnar epithelium…
The classic trio of fever, jaundice, and right upper quadrant (RUQ) pain seen in acute ascending cholangitis (biliary tract infection). It's…
Presence of one or more gallstones in the common bile duct (CBD), causing partial or complete biliary obstruction.
Long-standing inflammation of the gallbladder, nearly always due to gallstones causing repeated minor obstructions or past acute cholecystit…
Ongoing liver inflammation lasting ≥6 months (vs acute <6 months). Chronic hepatitis is a syndrome with multiple causes (viral, autoimmune, …
Long-standing inflammation of the pancreas leading to progressive fibrosis, permanent structural damage, and loss of function (exocrine insu…
End-stage liver disease with irreversible fibrosis and regenerative nodules replacing normal architecture, resulting in portal hypertension …
Increase in stool frequency and liquidity, typically defined as ≥3 loose or watery stools per day. Diarrhoea can be acute (<14 days) or chro…
Presence of outpouchings (diverticula) in the colonic wall, most often in the sigmoid colon. Diverticulosis refers to these mucosal outpouch…
Dilated submucosal veins in the distal esophagus due to portal hypertension (usually from cirrhosis), at high risk for life‑threatening blee…
Involuntary loss of solid or liquid stool due to loss of bowel control; ranges from minor leakage (soiling) to complete loss of sphincter co…
Mechanical small bowel obstruction by a gallstone (passed via a biliary-enteric fistula); a rare complication of chronic gallstone disease.
Solid calculi that form in the gallbladder or biliary tree from components of bile (cholesterol, bile pigments, calcium). There are two main…
Chronic condition where gastric contents flow back into the esophagus, resulting in troublesome symptoms (e.g., heartburn, regurgitation) an…
Benign inherited (usually autosomal recessive) condition of reduced bilirubin UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (*UGT1A1*) activity; causes mild i…
Iron overload disorder with excessive iron deposition in tissues (especially liver), leading to organ damage. Usually caused by autosomal re…
Spectrum of reversible neuropsychiatric abnormalities due to advanced liver dysfunction or portosystemic shunting, leading to accumulation o…
Inflammation of the liver due to various causes – most often hepatitis viruses (A, B, C, D, E), but also alcohol, drugs/toxins, or autoimmun…
Primary malignancy of hepatocytes (liver cells), usually arising in a cirrhotic liver. It is the most common primary liver cancer, character…
Autosomal recessive inborn error of fructose metabolism due to aldolase B deficiency; fructose (or sucrose) ingestion triggers toxic fructos…
Congenital absence of enteric ganglion cells in the distal colon (aganglionosis) → failure of relaxation and functional obstruction, with pr…
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract, encompassing Crohn's disea…
Congenital anomaly of intestinal rotation and fixation resulting in abnormal bowel positioning; predisposes to life‑threatening midgut volvu…
A chronic functional gastrointestinal disorder (disorder of gut–brain interaction) characterized by recurrent abdominal pain (on average ≥1 …
Congenital obstruction of the small intestine (jejunum or ileum) due to an in‑utero vascular accident causing a blind-ending or missing segm…
The MELD (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease) Score predicts 3-month mortality in patients with end-stage liver disease. It is used to priori…
Metabolic liver disease characterized by ≥5% hepatic steatosis not due to significant alcohol use; encompasses NAFL (simple steatosis withou…
Break in the gastric or duodenal mucosa extending through the muscularis mucosa into deeper layers, typically due to acid–pepsin effects. Mo…
Pathologically elevated pressure in the portal venous system (normal portal pressure ~5 mm Hg; clinically significant ≥10–12 mm Hg) usually …
Autoimmune destruction of small intrahepatic bile ducts leading to chronic cholestasis (bile stasis) and progressive fibrosis of the liver (…
Protrusion of rectal tissue through the anus. Can involve the full thickness of the rectum (complete prolapse) or only the mucosal layer (pa…
Spectrum of liver disease characterized by hepatic steatosis (fat >5% of liver weight) associated with metabolic dysfunction (e.g., obesity,…
Twisting of a loop of intestine around its mesentery, creating a closed-loop obstruction with risk of cutting off blood supply (ischemia/nec…
Rare autosomal recessive copper metabolism disorder (*ATP7B* mutation) causing toxic copper accumulation in tissues (especially liver & basa…
Syndrome caused by a gastrin-secreting tumor (gastrinoma) leading to excessive gastric acid hypersecretion and multiple refractory peptic ul…