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Question 1
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A 26-year-old office worker presents with a 3 year history of epigastric pain, especially 30 minutes after eating. This is associated with nausea and belching. She also describes constipation with occasional explosive diarrhoea. The stools are normally hard with mucus and she needs to strain with every motion. Abdominal pain is relieved after defecation but abdominal bloating persists. She wakes up an hour earlier each morning to finish her breakfast in order to prevent vomiting. She has missed work on a few occasions and feels that her weight has fluctuated. Past medical history includes scarlet fever. She is not on any regular medications except intermittent laxatives over the counter. Abdominal examination is normal. Rectal examination reveals an anal fissure. Investigation results: Haemoglobin (Hb 13.1 g/dL, White blood count (WBC) 6.0 × 109/L, Platelets 180× 109/L, Mean cell volume (MCV) 87 fL, International normalised ratio (INR) 1.0, Na+ 136 mmol/L, K+ 3.9 mmol/L, Urea 3.7 mmol/L, Creatinine 70 μmol/L, Albumin 39 glL. Liver function test normal. Anti-endomysial antibody negative. Thyroid function test normal. Gastroscopy normal. Flexible sigmoidoscopy and biopsy normal. Abdominal and pelvic ultrasound scans are normal. What is the most likely diagnosis to account for her symptoms?
Your Answer: Overlap irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia
Explanation:This is most likely describing irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Symptoms are either diarrhoea, constipation, or both, abdominal pain, bloating, of varying duration. It is a functional, not an organic problem, as far as research shows at this point. It is essentially a diagnosis of exclusion. Treatment is a high fibre diet with fluids. Caffeine should be avoided as this can worsen symptoms.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Gastroenterology
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Question 2
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A 16-year-old female presents with a two day history of right iliac fossa pain, nausea and loss of appetite. You suspect that she has acute appendicitis. Which scoring system could you use to lend support to your diagnosis?
Your Answer: Alvarado score
Explanation:The prompt is suggestive of acute appendicitis. The Alvarado score is a clinical scoring system used to determine the likelihood of appendicitis, so this is the correct answer. A score greater than 6 is generally considered at risk for having acute appendicitis. It has 8 different criteria included (symptoms, signs, and lab results) and divides patients into appendicitis unlikely, possible, probable, and definite. The Center Score is a score to access the likelihood that pharyngitis is due to Strep. The Child-Pugh score predicts prognosis in liver cirrhosis. The Glasgow score is two different scores– the Glasgow coma score in trauma, which estimates level of consciousness, essentially, and The Glasgow Imrie Criteria which determines the severity of acute pancreatitis based on 8 lab values. The MELD score predicts the severity of end-stage liver disease.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Gastroenterology
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Question 3
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A 76-year-old woman is admitted with a productive cough and pyrexia. Chest x-ray shows a pneumonia and she is commenced on intravenous ceftriaxone. Following admission a stool sample is sent because of diarrhoea. This confirms the suspected diagnosis of Clostridium difficile diarrhoea and a 10-day course of oral metronidazole is started. After 10 days her diarrhoea is ongoing but she remains clinically stable. What is the most appropriate treatment?
Your Answer: Oral vancomycin for 14 days
Explanation:When a patient fails treatment with metronidazole (Flagyl) treatment, the next course of action is to change to oral vancomycin, which is shown to be effective in the treatment of c diff colitis. Oral rifampicin is not a treatment for c diff. Oral metronidazole is not resolving her symptoms so is not the correct answer. clindamycin is a cause of c diff colitis, not a treatment. IV Vanc is not active in the gut so is not the treatment; oral is active in the gut.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Gastroenterology
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Question 4
Incorrect
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A 55-year-old obese woman presents to casualty. She has rigors and reports a fever. On examination there is jaundice and tenderness over the right upper quadrant of her abdomen. She has an elevated white blood cell count and a markedly raised alkaline phosphatase level; transaminases and bilirubin are also abnormal. Which of these diagnoses best fits the clinical picture?
Your Answer: Acute hepatitis
Correct Answer: Ascending cholangitis
Explanation:This question describes Charcot’s triad– fever, RUQ pain, and jaundice, which is seen in ascending cholangitis. Reynold’s pentad is a worsened version of this, where you have RUQ pain, fever, jaundice, hypotension, and altered mental status. Risk factors for gallstones are the 4F’s- female, fat, forty, and fertile. You would not have the elevated bilirubin, ALP, transaminases with a kidney stone or in peptic ulcer disease. Hepatitis would not cause elevation of bilirubin.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Gastroenterology
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Question 5
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A 57-year-old school teacher is found to have abnormal liver function tests at a health screening. Other than tiredness and occasional gritty eyes that she attributes to age, she is well. She is postmenopausal and takes hormone replacement therapy (HRT) but no other medication. She smokes 12 cigarettes per day but takes no alcohol. There is nothing to find on examination. Some of her blood results are shown below: Albumin 40 g/l (37–49) Alanine aminotransferase(ALT) 14 U/l (5–35) Alkaline Phosphatase 300 U/l (45–105) AMA positive >1:40 Anti-dsDNA weakly positive Bilirubin 12 μmol/l (1–22) High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol 4.0 mmol/l (>1.55) Liver–kidney microsomal antibody (anti-LKM) negative Liver transaminase (AST) 10 U/l (1–31) Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol 4.0 mmol/l (<3.36) Plasma thromboplastin (PT) 12 s (11.5–15.5) Smooth muscle antibody (SMA) negative Which of the following would be an appropriate next step?
Your Answer: Ursodeoxycholic acid
Explanation:The patient is AMA+ and weakly + for anti-dsDNA, suggesting an autoimmune process. She also has gritty eyes, which makes you think Sjogren’s syndrome. She has an elevated ALP and normal AST/ ALT. All of these factors, in addition to her middle age and the fact that she is a woman, make the diagnosis of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) most likely. It is associated with conditions (autoimmune) such as Sjogren’s syndrome. The treatment for this disease initially is ursodeoxycholic acid. Liver transplantation is the definitive treatment for end-stage disease.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Gastroenterology
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Question 6
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A 55-year-old lady, known with rheumatoid arthritis, complains of increasing numbness and tingling in her feet and hands. She has recently developed an ulcer on her left heel, after having burnt her foot in a hot bath. A number of depigmented areas are readily seen over her upper limbs. She is currently taking low-dose prednisolone (7.5 mg daily), alendronic acid, lansoprazole, paracetamol, indomethacin, methotrexate and rituximab. Her blood tests demonstrate: Haemoglobin 9.9 g/l, MCV 102 fl, Platelets 410 x 109/L, White blood cells 12.3 x 109/L, Vitamin B12 97 pg/ml, Folate 12.3ng/ml, Random blood glucose 9.9 mmol/L, Thyroid-stimulating hormone 4.7 mU/ml, Thyroxine 12.8 pmol/L. Which autoantibody would be most diagnostic for the underlying disease?
Your Answer: Anti-intrinsic factor (IF)
Explanation:This clinical scenario describes pernicious anaemia. Anti-intrinsic factor (IF) antibodies are most specific for pernicious anaemia. Antigastric parietal cell antibodies have a higher sensitivity but are less specific for pernicious anaemia. The other antibodies listed are not related to pernicious anaemia. Anti-TTG is seen with Celiac’s disease, anti-TPO is seen with thyroid disease, GAD is seen with type I diabetes, but this does not explain her anaemia.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Gastroenterology
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Question 7
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Which of the following is consistent with a diagnosis of insulinoma?
Your Answer: Low fasting glucose, high insulin, high C peptide
Explanation:Insulinoma is associated with LOW fasting glucose, HIGH insulin level, and HIGH C peptide. Insulin-abuse or overdose will cause HGH insulin levels and a LOW C peptide. If the C peptide is low, be suspicious.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Gastroenterology
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Question 8
Correct
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Which is the most common type of inherited colorectal cancer:
Your Answer: Hereditary non-polyposis colorectal carcinoma
Explanation:Hereditary non-polyposis syndrome (HNPCC) is the most common type of inherited colorectal cancer. It often presents in younger and younger generations down a family. FAP presents with 100’s-1000’s of polyps and is less common. Li-Fraumeni syndrome and Fanconi syndrome are rare. For Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, the thing you will look for in the question stem is discoloured spots on the lips, this is classic.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Gastroenterology
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Question 9
Correct
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A baby is born to a mother who is known to have chronic hepatitis B. The mothers latest results are as follows: HBsAg: Positive, HBeAg: Positive. What is the most appropriate strategy for reducing the vertical transmission rate?
Your Answer: Give the newborn hepatitis B vaccine + hepatitis B immunoglobulin
Explanation:The Green Book guidelines report in an active infection (HBeAg+ and HBsAg+) to give the vaccine as well as immunoglobulin. If antibodies are present it is not active infection (anti-Hbe) and then in that case only the vaccine, and no immunoglobulin, would be given. The presence of HBeAg means a person is infectious and can transmit to other people.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Gastroenterology
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Question 10
Incorrect
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An 82-year-old woman is brought in by her carer with fluctuating consciousness. On examination she is deeply jaundiced, hypotensive with a tachycardia and has a hepatic flap. Initial blood tests reveal an ALT of 1000 U/l, INR 3.4, ALP 600 U/l and a bilirubin of 250 mmol/l. Repeat blood tests 6 hours later show an ALT of 550 U/l, INR 4.6, ALP 702 U/l and bilirubin of 245 m mol/l. The toxicology screen for paracetamol and aspirin is negative; she is positive for hepatitis B surface antibody and negative for hepatitis B surface antigen. Which of the following would best explain her clinical condition?
Your Answer: Acute liver failure secondary to alcohol
Correct Answer: Acute liver failure secondary to paracetamol
Explanation:Liver flap is pathognomonic for liver failure. Paracetamol (also known as acetaminophen) overdose usually presents with symptoms including liver failure, resulting in confusion, jaundice, and coagulopathy a few days after overdose. The first 24 hours, people usually have minimal symptoms. Diagnosis is based on blood levels of acetaminophen at specific times after it was taken (see reference). If she took it a few days ago, levels may indeed be undetectable. The hepatitis B serology suggests prior vaccination. Wilson’s disease is not the most likely diagnosis given her presentation. The AST:ALT ratio would be expected to be reversed in alcohol induced liver failure.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Gastroenterology
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SESSION STATS - PERFORMANCE PER SPECIALTY
