General Flashcards

Which type of GI cancer screening has the strongest evidence for reducing cancer mortality?

Answer: Colorectal cancer screening with colonoscopy

Colorectal cancer screening with colonoscopy has the strongest evidence for reducing cancer incidence and mortality.

What is the difference between diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy?

Answer: Diagnostic examines and biopsies; therapeutic treats conditions like bleeding, strictures, or removes lesions

Diagnostic endoscopy focuses on visualization and biopsy; therapeutic involves interventional treatment.

A patient asks what Helicobacter pylori is. Which response is most accurate?

Answer: A bacterium that colonizes the stomach and is the primary cause of peptic ulcers and a risk factor for gastric cancer

H. pylori is a gram-negative bacterium causing peptic ulcers and classified as a WHO Group 1 carcinogen.

What is capsule endoscopy primarily used to evaluate?

Answer: Small bowel pathology including obscure GI bleeding, Crohn's disease, and tumors

Capsule endoscopy visualizes the small bowel, largely inaccessible to conventional endoscopy.

What is the primary difference between moderate and deep sedation in endoscopy?

Answer: In moderate sedation patients respond purposefully to verbal/tactile stimulation; in deep sedation patients respond only to repeated or painful stimulation

The key distinction is patient responsiveness and status of protective reflexes.

What is the recommended method for handling biopsy specimens during endoscopy?

Answer: Separate labeled containers with formalin for each site, with accurate location documentation

Each biopsy site requires a separate, labeled container with appropriate fixative and accurate anatomic documentation.