Digestive System

Week 9
 Learning Outcomes
• Describe basic anatomy of the Digestive system
• Identify the combining forms, prefixes and suffixes of the
Digestive system
• Build Digestive system medical terms
• Define Digestive system medical terms
• Identify common diseases of the Digestive system.
• Identify basic Diagnostic procedures.
• Describe basic pharmacological terms
• Identify common Abbreviations
 Anatomy of the Digestive System

• Organs • Accessory Organs

• Oral cavity • Pancreas
• Pharynx • Liver
• Esophagus • Gallbladder
• Stomach • Salivary glands
• Small intestine
• Colon
Anatomy of the Digestive System
Anatomy of the Digestive System
Anatomy of the Digestive System
 Anatomy of the Digestive System

• Functions of the Digestive System

• Mechanical and chemical digestion of food
• Absorption of nutrient molecules
• Elimination of solid wastes
 Digestion
Physical and chemical breakdown of large food particles
Produces simple nutrient molecules
• Glucose
• Triglycerides
• Amino acids
 Absorbing Nutrients

• Simple molecules are the absorbed from the intestines

• Circulated through the body by the cardiovascular system
• Used for growth and repair of cells, tissues, and organs
 Elimination of Waste

• Some ingested food cannot be digested or absorbed

Expelled from body as solid waste
Digestive System Combining Forms
• an/o anus
• append/o appendix
• bucc/o cheek
• cec/o cecum
• chol/e bile, gall
• col/o colon
• colon/o colon
• duoden/o duodenum
• enter/o small intestine
• esophag/o esophagus
• gastr/o stomach
• gloss/o tongue
• hepat/o liver
• ile/o ileum
Digestive System Combining Forms

• jejun/o jejunum
• labi/o lip
• lapar/o abdomen
• lingu/o tongue
• lith/o stone
• odont/o tooth
• or/o mouth
• palat/o palate
• pancreat/o pancreas
Digestive System Combining Forms

• pharyng/o throat, pharynx

• proct/o anus and rectum
• pylor/o pylorus
• rect/o rectum
• sigmoid/o sigmoid colon
 Digestive System Suffixes
–emesis vomit
–lithiasis stone
–orexia appetite
–pepsia digestion
–phagia eat, swallow
–prandial pertaining to a meal
–tripsy surgical crushing
–ectomy surgical removal
–ostomy new opening
-megaly enlargement
-phagia Swallowing
-rrhea flow, discharge
 Digestive System Vocabulary

loss of appetite with other conditions; different from

anorexia
anorexia nervosa
ascites collection of fluid in peritoneal cavity
bowel
inability to control defecation
incontinence

cachexia loss of weight and wasting occurring during chronic disease

 Digestive System Vocabulary

constipation difficult or infrequent defecation

prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions
dentistry
involving teeth, jaw, and mouth
denture partial or complete set of artificial teeth
diarrhea frequent, watery bowel movements
emesis vomiting
hematochezia passing bright red blood in stools
Digestive System Vocabulary

yellow cast to skin; caused by deposit of bile

jaundice
pigment; often caused by liver disease

melena passage of dark tarry stool, due to digested blood

nausea urge to vomit

obesity weight above healthy levels
 Digestive System Vocabulary

tumor with a pedicle (stem) attachment; found on mucous

polyp
membranes

proctology diagnosis and treatment of diseases of anus and rectum

pyrosis stomach acid splashing into esophagus; heartburn

regurgitation backflow of stomach contents into mouth

Oral Cavity Pathology
ulcers in the mouth; commonly called canker
aphthous ulcers
sores
congenital anomaly where upper lip and jaw fail
cleft lip
to fuse in the midline, leaving a gap
congenital anomaly where hard palate fails to
cleft palate fuse in the midline, leaving an opening into nasal
cavity
 Oral Cavity Pathology

herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection;

herpes labialis
fever blisters or cold sores
disease of supporting structures around the teeth;
periodontal disease especially the gums; most common cause of tooth
loss
Esophageal Pathology

varicose veins in the esophagus;

esophageal varices
hemorrhaging occurs if rupture

gastroesophageal acid from stomach flows backward up into

reflux disease (GERD) esophagus causing inflammation and pain
 Stomach Pathology
gastric carcinoma malignant tumor in stomach

protrusion of stomach through diaphragm into

hiatal hernia
thoracic cavity

ulcer in the lower portion of esophagus,

peptic ulcer disease
stomach, and/or duodenum; may be a result of
(PUD)
Helicobacter pylori infection
Small Intestine & Colon Pathology
colorectal
malignant tumor in the colon or rectum
carcinoma

chronic inflammatory bowel disease, primarily in ileum

Crohn’s disease
and/or colon; results in scarring

chronic inflammatory condition with numerous

ulcerative colitis small ulcers on the lining of the colon; also called
inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
Small Intestine & Colon Pathology
inflammation of a diverticulum, an outpouching off the
diverticulitis
colon; results from food being trapped inside
diverticulosis condition of having diverticula, may lead to diverticulitis
diarrhea with mucus and blood, severe abdominal pain,
dysentery
and fever; caused by contaminated food or water
 Small Intestine & Colon Pathology

hemorrhoids varicose veins in the anal region

protrusion of a loop of bowel through abdominal
muscle and into groin region; may become
inguinal hernia
incarcerated or strangulated if muscle pinches the
loop of bowel
 Accessory Organ Pathology

inflammation of gallbladder; commonly caused by

cholecystitis
gallstones

cholelithiasis presence of gallstones; may or may not cause symptoms

cirrhosis chronic liver disease due to liver failure

hepatitis inflammation of liver; usually due to a viral infection

 Clinical Laboratory Tests
Liver function tests check the levels of certain enzymes and proteins:

• Alanine transaminase (ALT) helps convert proteins into energy for the
liver cells. When the liver is damaged, ALT is released into the
bloodstream and levels increase.
• Aspartate transaminase (AST) helps metabolize amino acids. An
increase in AST levels may indicate liver damage, disease or muscle
damage.
 Clinical Laboratory Tests
Liver function tests check the levels of certain enzymes and proteins:

• Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) Higher-than-normal levels of ALP may

indicate liver damage or disease, such as a blocked bile duct, or certain
bone diseases.
• Albumin and total protein
• Bilirubin is a substance produced during the normal breakdown of red
blood cells. Bilirubin passes through the liver and is excreted in stool.
Elevated levels of bilirubin (jaundice) might indicate liver damage.
• Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) Higher-than-normal levels may
indicate liver or bile duct damage.
 Clinical Laboratory Tests

culture of feces to look for presence of pathogenic

stool culture
bacteria
 Endoscopic Procedures

visual examination inside of colon and rectum using a

colonoscopy
colonoscope

gastroscopy visual examination inside of stomach using a gastroscope

visual examination inside of abdominal cavity using a

laparoscopy
laparoscope
visual examination inside of sigmoid colon using a
sigmoidoscopy
sigmoidoscope
 Digestive System Pathology:
Signs and Symptoms
• anorexia
• ascites
• bowel incontinence
• Cachexia
• constipation
• Diarrhea
• hematochezia
• jaundice
 Digestive System Pathology:
Signs and Symptoms
• melena
• nausea
• obesity
 Digestive System Pathology
• herpes labialis
• herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection; fever
blisters or cold sores
• gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• acid from stomach flows backward up into
esophagus causing inflammation and pain
• peptic ulcer disease (PUD)
• ulcer in the stomach, and/or duodenum; a result of
Helicobacter pylori infection
• colorectal carcinoma
• malignant tumor in the colon or rectum
 Digestive System Pathology
• dysentery
• diarrhea with mucus and blood, severe abdominal pain, and
fever; caused by contaminated food or water
• hemorrhoids
• varicose veins in the anal region
• cholecystitis
• inflammation of gallbladder; commonly caused by gallstones
• cholelithiasis
• presence of gallstones; may or may not cause symptoms
• hepatitis
• inflammation of liver; usually due to a viral infection
 Digestive System Tests and Procedures
• alanine transaminase (ALT)
• normal enzyme in the bloodstream; increased levels indicate liver
disease
• aspartate transaminase (AST)
• normal enzyme in the bloodstream; increased levels indicate liver
disease
• stool culture
• culture of feces to look for presence of pathogenic bacteria
 Digestive System Tests and Procedures

• percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC)

• X-ray of liver and bile duct after dye is injected directly into liver
• upper gastrointestinal series (upper GI)
• X-ray of esophagus, stomach, and duodenum after swallowing barium;
also called barium swallow
 Digestive System Tests and Procedures

• colonoscopy
• visual examination inside of colon and rectum using a colonoscope
• gastroscopy
• visual examination inside of stomach using a gastroscope
• laparoscopy
• visual examination inside of abdominal cavity using a laparoscope
• sigmoidoscopy
• visual examination inside of sigmoid colon using a sigmoidoscope
 Digestive System Tests and Procedures

• lavage
• washing out stomach using a nasogastric tube
• nasogastric intubation (NG tube)
• flexible catheter inserted into nose and down esophagus into the
stomach
• exploratory laparotomy
• surgical procedure to examine the abdominal organs
Medical Procedures

lavage washing out stomach using a nasogastric tube

nasogastric
intubation flexible catheter inserted into nose and down
esophagus into the stomach
(NG tube)
 Surgical Procedures

surgical creation of a connection between two

anastomosis organs; like joining together two sections of
colon
surgical crushing of a gallstone in the common
choledocholithotripsy
bile duct
Surgical Procedures

laparoscopic surgical removal of gallbladder through a

cholecystectomy laparoscopic incision
liver transplant implantation of a donor liver
Digestive System Pharmacology

antacid neutralizes stomach acid Mylanta

antidiarrheal used to control diarrhea Imodium, Lomotil

antiemetic treats nausea and vomiting Compazine

Digestive System Pharmacology

H2-receptor blocks the production of Zantac, Pepcid,

antagonist stomach acid Tagament

laxative stimulates a bowel movement Metamucil

proton pump blocks stomach’s ability to

Omeprazole
inhibitor secrete acid
 Digestive System Abbreviations
CBD common bile duct
FOBT fecal occult blood test
GERD gastroesophageal reflux disease
GI gastrointestinal
Digestive System Abbreviations

HAV hepatitis A virus

HBV hepatitis B virus
HCV hepatitis C virus
HDV hepatitis D virus
HEV hepatitis E virus
HSV-1 herpes simplex virus type 1
Digestive System Abbreviations

IBD inflammatory bowel disease

NG nasogastric
NPO nothing by mouth
Digestive System Abbreviations

PO by mouth
pp postprandial
PUD peptic ulcer disease
TPN total parenteral nutrition
UGI upper gastrointestinal series
 Common Pharmacology Terms of
the Digestive System
Find information about the following drugs and complete the
table below.
Drug Class Drug Action Generic Name
Antacid Calcium carbonate
Antidiarrheals Loperamide
Antiemetics Control nausea and
vomiting by blocking
nerve
impulses to the vomiting
center
Laxatives Senna
 Common Abbreviations of the
Digestive System
Complete the following table of common abbreviations

Abbreviation Meaning
BMI Body Mass Index
GERD
Nasogastric tube
LFT
END WEEK 9