HEALTH CLINIC

What is  Pancreas? The pancreas {pan = all; kreas = flesh) is a gland that is partly exocrine and partly endocrine. The exocrine part secretes the digestive pancreatic juice; and the endocrine part secretes hormones, e.g., insulin. It is soft, lobulated and elongated organ. The pancreas is both an exocrine and an endocrine gland. It is an elongated structure that lies on the posterior ab- dominal wall behind the stomach and behind the peri- toneum. It may be divided into a head, a neck, a body, and a tail . The head is disc shaped and lies within the concavity of the C-shaped duodenum. The uncinate process is a projection to the left from the lower part of the head behind the superior mesenteric vessels. The neck is narrow and connects the head to the body; it lies in front of the beginning of the portal vein. The body passes upward and to the left across the midline, and the tail extends to the hilus of the spleen in the splenicorenal ligament. Location Of Pancreas The pancreas li...

What is hepatitis? Inflammation of the liver is referred to as hepatitis. It may be infective hepatitis or amoebic hepatitis. What is Cirrhosis of the liver? Under certain conditions liver tissue undergoes fibrosis and shrinks. This is called cirrhosis of the liver. What is liver biopsy? Liver biopsy needs to be done in certain clinical conditions. Liver biopsy needle is passed through right 8th intercostal space. It traverses both the pleural and peritoneal cavities  Liver biopsies are frequently performed by needle puncture through the right intercostal space 8, 9, or, 10 when the patient has exhaled. The needle will pass through the following structures: Skin → superficial fascia → external oblique muscle → intercostal muscles → costal parietal pleura → costodiaphragmatic recess → diaphragmatic parietal pleura → diaphragm → peritoneum. Definition of liver The liver is a large, solid, gland situated in the right upper quadrant of the abdominal cavity. In the living subject, the l...

  THE KIDNEYS Synonyms The kidneys are also called renes from which we have the derivative renal; and nephros from which we have the terms nephron, nephritis, etc. ● The kidneys are retroperitoneal organs that lie on the ventral surface of the quadratus lumborum muscle and lateral to the psoas muscle and vertebral column. ● The kidneys are directly covered by a fibrous capsule called the renal capsule (or true capsule) which can be readily stripped from the surface of the kidney except in some pathologic conditions where it is strongly adherent due to scarring. ● The kidneys are further surrounded by the perirenal fascia of Gerota (or false capsule) which is important in staging renal cell carcinoma. The perirenal fascia of Gerota defines the perirenal space that contains the kidney, adrenal gland, ureter, gonadal artery and vein, and perirenal fat. ● Any fat located outside the perirenal space is called pararenal fat which is most abundant postero- laterally. ● At the concave medi...

What is gastric ulcer?  Gastric ulcers  most often occur within the body of the stomach along the lesser curvature above the incisura angularis. Gastric ulcer occurs typically along the lesser curvature . This is possibly due to the following peculiarities of the lesser curvature: (i) It is homologous with the gastric trough of ruminants, (ii) Mucosa is not freely movable over the muscular coat. (Ill) The epithelium is comparatively thin, (iv) Blood supply is less abundant and there are fewer anastomoses, (v) Nerve supply is more abundant, with large ganglia, (vi) Because of the gastric canal, it receives most of the insult from irritating drinks, (vii) Being shorter in length the wave of contraction stays longer at a particular point, viz., the standing wave of incisura. Gastric ulcer is notoriously resistant to healing and persists for years together, causing great degree of morbidity. To promote healing the irritating effect of HC1 can be minimised by antacids, partial gast...

What is  Esophageal varices?  Esophageal varices refer to the dilated subepithelial and submucosal venous plexuses of the esophagus that drain into the left gastric (coronary) vein. The left gastric vein empties into the portal vein from the distal esophagus and proximal stomach. Esophageal varices are caused by portal hypertension due to cirrhosis of the liver. What are Symptoms of   Esophageal varices? Esophageal varices usually don't cause signs and symptoms unless they bleed. Signs and symptoms of bleeding esophageal varices include: Vomiting large amounts of blood Black, tarry or bloody stools Lightheadedness Loss of consciousness in severe cases Your doctor might suspect esophageal varices if you have signs of liver disease, including: Yellow coloration of your skin and eyes (jaundice) Easy bleeding or bruising Fluid buildup in your abdomen (ascites) What are Causes of   Esophageal varices? Esophageal varices sometimes form when blood flow to you...

 WHAT IS APPENDICTIS? Appendicitis begins with the obstruction of the appendix lumen with a fecal concretion (fecalith) and lymphoid hyperplasia followed by distention of the appendix. Clinical findings include initial pain in the umbilical or epigastric region (later pain localizes to the right lumbar region), nausea, vomiting, anorexia, tenderness to palpation, and percussion in the right lumbar region. Complications may include peritonitis due to rupture of the appendix. McBurney point is located by drawing a line from the right anterior superior iliac spine to the umbilicus. The midpoint of this line locates the root of the appendix. The appendix is suspended by the mesoap- pendix (i.e., intraperitoneal) and is generally found in the retrocecal fossa (although its position is variable). What is appendix? This is a worm-like diverticulum arising from the posteromedial wall, of the caecum, about 2 cm below the ileocaecal orifice. The appendix  is a narrow, muscular tube with...

  WHAT IS MECKEL’S DIVERTICULUM? Meckel’s diverticulum is a congenital anomaly representing a persistent portion of the vitellointestinal duct. It is located (if present) on the antimesenteric border of the ileum approximately 2 ft. (60 cm) from the ileocecal junction. It is about 2 in. (5 cm) in length, and it occurs in approximately 2% of individuals. It is important clinically because bleeding may occur from an ulcer in its mucous membrane. WHAT IS CROHN DISEASE ? Crohn disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that most commonly affects the ileum and involves an abundant accumulation of lymphocytes forming a granuloma (a typical feature of CD) within the submucosa that may further extend into the muscularis externa. Neutrophils infiltrate the intestinal glands and ultimately destroy them leading to ulcers. With progression of CD, the ulcers coalesce into long, serpentine ulcers (“linear ulcers”) oriented along the long axis of the bowel. A classic feature o...