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Gastrointestinal System key concepts

5 revision pages for Gastrointestinal System, each with the key facts, a memory aid where one helps, and the exam traps.

  1. Benign oesophageal stricture from long-standing reflux

    A benign peptic (acid-related) oesophageal stricture from long-standing acid reflux is a fixed narrowing of the oesophagus by scar tissue, left when the inflammation heals by fibrosis.

  2. Indirect inguinal hernia: deep ring and inferior epigastric vessels

    An indirect inguinal hernia is a protrusion of abdominal contents into the inguinal canal (the oblique passage through the lower abdominal wall) via its internal opening, the deep ring.

  3. Intrinsic factor and vitamin B12 absorption

    Parietal cells (the stomach cells that secrete acid) make intrinsic factor, a protein that binds vitamin B12 for absorption in the last part of the small intestine.

  4. Plicae circulares and absorption in the small intestine

    The plicae circulares are permanent circular folds in the wall of the small intestine that enlarge the surface for absorption and slow chyme (the partly digested food).

  5. Ulcerative colitis versus Crohn’s disease: pattern and depth

    Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are the two main inflammatory bowel diseases (long-term gut inflammation), and they differ in spread and depth.

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