The 
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the GASTROLAB Digestive Dictionary
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F (U) Farad
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 Faeces in the Sigmoid Colon |
Faeces is the solid waste material of the body. In the first part of the colon the bowel content is loose, but during the passage through the colon excessive water is absorbed, and the faeces becomes solid before being evacuated through the anal canal. Faeces is composed of undigested parts of the food (mostly cellulose), a lot of bacteria (many of them important to the human producing vitamin K), various secretions (mucus), bile pigments (which give faeces its typical brown colour) and water. During colonoscopy images like these are seldom seen, as the bowel is cleaned before the examination.
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Fahrenheit thermometer A method of measuring temperature. In Fahrenheit the freezing point of water is 32 degrees, boiling point of water 212 degrees and normal body temperature 98.4 degrees Celcius. To find degrees in the Celsius scale, one should substract 32 from the Fahrenheit degrees and divide the rest by 1.8. To find degrees in Fahrenheit, the Celsius degrees should be multiplied by 1.8 and 32 added.
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 Hundreds of adenomas in a colectomy specimen from a patient with FAP |
Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) is a genetic disease with autosomal dominant inheritance. The typical finding in this disease is hundreds of polyps, adenomas, in the large bowel, starting to appear in young age. Some of these adenomas develops to a malignant large bowel tumour, colon cancer in a mean age of about 40. Prophylactic colectomy is indicated, and usually done before the age of 25. Surveillance of near relatives is obligatory. Every second child of a patient with FAP gets the disease due to the type of inheritance. FAP patients can get extracolonic cancer (often in the duodenum) and can have other extraintestinal manifestations of the disease, desmoid tumours and bone abnormalities.
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Familial hyperbilirubinemias There are five familial hyperbilirubinemias. In three of them the hyperbilirubinemia is unconjugated (Gilbet´s syndrome, Crigler-Najjar type I and type II) and in two the hyperbilirubinemia is of conjucated type (Dubin-Johnson syndrome, Rotor syndrome). FAP (Abbr) See Familial Adenomatous Polyposis Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) a test of blood invisible to the eye in the stool. This test is often used as a screening test for colorectal cancer. Feces See Faeces FFA (Abbr) Free fatty acids Fissura Cleft of groove Fissura in ano Anal fissure Fitz-Hugh-Curtis´syndrome See perihepatitis Fitz´s syndrome A syndrome caused by an acute haemorrhagic pancreatitis published in 1889 by R. Fitz Flatulence Excess flatus or gas Flatus Voiding of gas through the anal canal Flexura coli dextra Right colic flexure Flexura coli sinistra Left colic flexure Flexura hepatis See right colic flexure Flexura lienalis See left colic flexure FOBT Fecal occult blood test, a test of blood invisible to the eye in the stool. This test is often used as a screening test for colorectal cancer. Foetor Bad smell Foetor ex ore Bad breath "from the mouth" Foetor hepaticus Bad smell in the breath due to a severe hepatic disease Foot Linear measure, measuring length. 1 foot is 0.3048 meters. 1 m is 3.281 feet.
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 A foreign body, a coin, in the stomach |
Foreign body (Corpus alienum) An object in a place where it should not normally be. A coin or a small toy swallowed by a child is a typical foreign body. An object swallowed ofted departs from the gastrointestal channel by the normal route, bigger objects can be removed endoscopically. Small batteries used in electronic toys are dangerous especially if the remain in the oesophagus, and they should be removed immediately, othervise they can cause serious burns.
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 A gastric ulcer with a Forrest IIc lesion |
Forrest Classification Peptic ulcer disease is the most common cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. The endoscopic finding can give valuable information about the risk of rebleeding after hospital admission. Endoscopic signs indicating risk of rebleeding were classified in 1974 by Forrest et al (Forrest JA, Finlayson ND, Shearman DJ. Endoscopy in gastrointestinal bleeding. Lancet 1974;17:394-397). The classification is as follow:
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Fulminant (Adj) Describing a disease or a symptom which has an acute and very severe onset. Fulminant hepatic failure A term introduced by Trey and Davidson in 1970 describing an acute liver failure complicated by hepatic encephalopathy within 8 weeks of the onset of the disease. In subfulminant hepatic failure the encephalopathy develop within up to 6 months after the onset of the disease Functional Chest Pain of Presumed Oesophageal Origin A functional gastrointestinal disorder, causing chest pain similar to chest pain due to coronary heart disease. The Rome II diagnostic criteria for this disorder are: At least 12 weeks, which need not be consecutive, within the preceding 12 months of: 1. Midline chest pain or discomfort that is not of burning quality; 2. Absence of pathologic gastro-oesophageal reflux, achalasia or other recognized disorder. Functional constipation A functional gastrointestinal disorder. The Rome II diagnostic criteria for this disorder are: At least 12 weeks, which need not be consecutive, in the preceding 12 months of two or more of: 1. Straining > 1/4 of defecations; 2. Lumpy or hard stools > 1/4 of defecations; 3. Sensation of incomplete evacuation > 1/4 of defecations; 4. Sensation of anorectal obstruction/blockage > 1/4 of defecations; 5. Manual maneuvers to facilitate > 1/4 of defecations; 6. Less than 3 defecations per week. Functional diarrhea in childhoodA functional gastrointestinal disorder, allso called Toddler´s Diarrhea, chronic nonspecific diarrhea, irritable colon of childhood. The diagnostic criteria according to the Rome II Criteria are: For more than 4 weeks, daily painless, recurrent passage of 3 or more large, unformed stools, in addition to all these characteristics: 1. Onset of symoptoms begins between 6 and 36 months of age; 2. Passage of stools occurs during waking hours; 3. There is no failure-to-thrive if caloric intake is adequate Functional dysphagia A functional gastrointestinal disorder causing swallowing difficulties. The Rome II diagnostic criteria for this disorder are: At least 12 weeks, which need not be consecutive, in the preceding 12 months of 1. Sense of solid and/or liquid foods sticking, lodging, or passing abnormally through the oesophagus; 2. Absence of pathological gastro-oesophageal reflux, achalasia or any other recognized motility disorder. Functional gastrointestinal disorders Chronic or recurrent gastrointestinal symptoms which are not explained by any organic (structural or biochemical) abnormality. Functional Heartburn A functional gastrointestinal disorder, causing symptoms similar to gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. The Rome II diagnostic criteria for this disorder are: At least 12 weeks, which need not be consecutive, in the preceding 12 months of: 1. Burning retrosternal discomfort or pain; 2. Absence of pathologic gastro-oesophageal reflux, achalasia or any other recognized disorder. Functional vomiting A functional gastrointestinal disorder. The Rome II diagnostic criteria for this disorder are: At least 12 weeks, which need not be consecutive. in the preceding 12 months of 1. Frequent episodes of vomiting, occurring on at last three separate days in a week over three months; 2. Absecnce of criteria for an eating disorder, rumination or major psychiatric disease; 3. Absence of self-induced and medication-induced vomiting; 4. Absence of abnormalities in the gut or central nervous system, and metabolic disorders to explain the recurrent vomiting.
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 The upper part of the stomach after a fundoplication |
Fundoplication A surgical therapy for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, used if the patient does not like the idea of using medical therapy for a long time or if medical therapy lacks sufficient effect. In a fundoplication the upper part of the stomach is wrapped around a part of or all of the lower oesophagus. There are several techiques, the one best known si the Nissen funcoplicatio introduces by a Swiss Surgeon, Rudolf Nissen, in the 1950´ies. Other techniques are the Belsey plastia, the Toupet fundoplication and the Hill procedure. Fundoplications can now be done laparoscopically.
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Fungus balls Yeast bezoar, a peristent foreign body, bezoar, in the stomach consisting of yeast. A yeast bezoar is a rare complication of gastric surgery. See Bezoar.
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The Best Image Library in the World!That is what we would like Gastrolab Image Library and Endoscopic Archives to be.Perhaps We can achieve this together? Many of You have ecxellent endoscopic images just waiting for publication. When published they can be an invaluable resource for young endoscopists and for gastroenterologic education. Images published here can freely be used for noncommercial purposes. So, please email Your images here Together we can make the best and most complete Image Library in the World! |
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Endoscopy Slide-Shows
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May 3, 2007