Management of Acute Necrotizing Pancreatitis Ryan B. Morgan, MD John C. Alverdy, MD Acute pancreatitis is the leading cause of gastrointestinal-related hospitalization in the United States, with an estimated incidence of 15 to 45 per 100,000 per year. The severity of acute…
Management of Asymptomatic (Silent) Gallstones Theodore N. Pappas, MD Christopher R. Reed, MD NATURAL HISTORY OF CHOLELITHIASIS The first description of incidental gallstones probably dates back to the 14th century, a relatively recent observation in the grand scheme of pathologic observations. This…
Portal Hypertension: Role of Shunting Procedures Eliza J. Lee, MD Russel N. Wesson, MBChB INTRODUCTION Defined as a portal venous pressure gradient greater than 5 to 7 mm Hg, portal hypertension develops when resistance to portal blood flow increases. Although the etiology…
Cystic Disease of the Liver INTRODUCTION Cysts of the liver are a common phenomenon and occur in approximately 5% to 20% of adults. They are sporadic and largely not associated with familial syndromes. Most cysts of the liver are simple…
Management of Hemorrhoids Ariane M. Abcarian, MD Herand Abcarian, MD INTRODUCTION Hemorrhoids are specialized vascular cushions in the anal canal or at the anal verge. These cushions are composed of blood vessels, connective tissue, and smooth muscle fibers. Hemorrhoids are a normal…
Preoperative Bowel Preparation: Is It Necessary? Anna Chudnovets, MD, Sandy Hwang Fang, MD Patients who undergo colorectal surgery for cancer and inflammatory bowel disease often have associated risk factors that impair wound healing, such as chemoradiation therapy, steroid therapy, and malnutrition. Additional…
Management of Small Bowel Obstruction Charudutt Paranjape, MD George Velmahos,, MD INTRODUCTION Small bowel obstruction (SBO) accounts for 2% to 4% of emergency department (ED) visits for abdominal pain and accounts for as many as 16% of surgical admissions and more than…
Benign Gastric Ulcer Daniel T. Dempsey, MD Benign gastric ulcer is a discrete macroscopic wound in the luminal surface of the stomach, extending into the submucosa or muscularis propria and rarely to the serosa of the organ. It is generally believed…
Esophageal Function Tests Wasay Nizam, MBBS Hamza Khan, MD Malcolm V. Brock, MD The esophagus is a muscular, tubelike structure located in the posterior mediastinum. It spans from the posterior oropharynx to the cardia of the stomach with three functional regions: the upper…