The Gastrointestinal
Encyclopedia
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
The 
Dictionary
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the GASTROLAB Digestive Dictionary
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Lactase deficiency Deficiency of the small bowel mucosal enzyme, lactase. Primary lactase deficiency is the commonest cause of osmotic diarrhea. Milk and other lactose containing products cause diarrhea, abdominal distension and intestinal gas. Secondary lactase deficiency can occur as a result of a small bowel disease (such as coeliac disease, Crohnīs disease) and for some time after bowel infections. The main treatment is reducing lactose intake until symptoms resolve. Lamivudine An antiviral drug used in the treatment of Hepatitis B. Lanreotide A somatostatin analogue frequently used in the treatment of carcinoid tumours and can control symptoms of this disease in up to 70% of the patients by inhibiting the gastrointestinal hormone production. Lanzoprazole A proton pump inhibitor (PPI), that is a drug minimazing the acid procuction in the stomach, most often used in the treatment of reflux disease and ulcer disease. The drug can also be used in combination with antibiotics in the eradication of Helicobacter pylori. LARD (Abbr) Laryngeal Reflux Disease, manifestations of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease in the laryngeal region. Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Disease A disease caused by reflux of stomach juice up to the throat, causing inflammation in the pharynx, larynx and the upper respiratory tract. Hoarsness, chronic cough and pain in the throat are the usual symptoms. This very common disease is treated in the same way as oesophageal reflux disease. Lazarus response The fenomenal effect of some new drugs against cancer (Gefinitib among others). These new drugs can cure some forms of advanced cancer and bring them back to life (like Lazarus in the bible). Dr Tom Lynch at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston is the first one to use this expression LDL (Abbr) Low Density Lipoprotein-cholesterol, "bad cholesterol". Leather bottle stomach A name used for a type of gastric cancer diffusely involving a large portion of the stomach. See linitis plastica. Left colic flexure Flexura lienalis, splenic flexure, the junction of the transverse and descending part of the colon, situated anterior to the left kidney and inferior to the spleen.
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 An ulcerated gastric leiomyoma |
Leiomyoma is a benign tumor of smooth muscle, most commonly occuring in the uterus, but can be found in almost every part of the gastrointestinal tract causing a submucosal mass, e.g. in the oesophagus, stomach, small bowel and large bowel. In the stomach a leimyoma does not usually cause any symptoms until itīs size causes mucosal ulceration and bleeding. Rarely there is a malignant transformation into leimyosarcoma (or leiomyoblastoma) but malignancy cannot be excluded by endoscopy, and the differential diagnosis is often difficult also from histologic specimens. Surgical treatment is curative and indicated at least if the tumor has caused bleeding.
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Leiomyosarcoma A malignant tumor arising from smooth muscle in the gastrointestinal tract and more often in the uterus. See leimyoma. LES (Abbr) Lower esophageal sphincter. See LOS Lesniowski, Antoni (1867-1940) Polish surgeon who described a typical case of Crohns disease in his paper "Przyczynek do chirurgii kiszek (Treatiose on the surgery of the bowels) in 1903. In Poland this disease is sometimes named "Lesniowski-Crohn Disease". Levator ani syndrome A functional disorder in the anorectal region typically causing a dull vague pain coming more often and with a longer duration than in Proctalgia fugax. The pain is caused by a spasm i/n the striated muscles of the pelvic floor. This syndrome is more common in women than in men, and more than a half of the patients are between 30 and 60 years. There are several ways of treating this disorder, but the pain can be quite resistant to treatment. This syndrome is also called Puborectalis syndrome, Chronic proctalgia, Pyriformis syndrome and Pelvic tension myalgia.
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 Linea anorectalis seen from the inside of the rectum with the endoscope in an inverted position |
Linea dentata See Linea anorectalis Linea anorectalis(also called anorectal junction, linea dentata) is a circular line just inside the anal canal and is the border line between rectal mucosa and the anal canal.
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Lingua plicata Fissured tongue Linitis plastica A type of gastric cancer, adenocarcinoma, which diffusely involve a large portion of the stomach. About 10% of all gastric cancers are of this type. Also called "leather bottle stomach". Linton-Nachlas tube A balloon-like instrument used as a tamponade of bleeding from oesophageal varices. Lipodystrophia intestinalis Intestinal lipodystrophy, a bowel diseaase caused by a bacterial infection (Trophenyma whippelii). This disease was first described by an American physician, Georg Hoyt Whipple in 1907 and the disease is hence named after him, Whipples disease .
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 A lipoma on the large bowel |
Lipoma Common bening tumours composed of normal well-differentiated fat cells. Cutaneous or subcutaneous lipomas are very frequently seen and rarely the need to be removed. Lipomas can occur in nearly all parts of the gastrointestinal system, they rarely cause any symptoms and do not need any treatment, but they can cause diagnostic difficulties, as the finding in x-ray examinations cannot differentiate them from more serious tumours.
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Lipomatosis The presence of an abnormally large amount of fat in a tissue. Lith- (Pre) Stone- , Calculus-. For example lihtogenesis, formation of calculi -lith (Suf) Stone, Calculus. For example faecalith, a stony mass of faeces. -lithiasis (Suf) Formation of stones in an internal orgarn, for example cholecystolihtiasis, gallstones. L-ornithine L-aspartate LOLA, two amino acids used together in the treatment of hepatic encephalopathy. They enhance the natural metabolic conversion of ammonia and treatment with this preparation has been showed to be more effective than the standard treatment with lactulose. LOS (Abbr) Lower oesophageal sphincter
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 A reflux oesophagitis grade C according to the Los Angeles Classification |
Los Angeles Classification System for the endoscopic assessment of reflux oesophagitis: GRADE A: One or more mucosal breaks no longer than 5 mm, non of which extends between the tops of the mucosal folds GRADE B: One or more mucosal breaks more than 5 mm long, none of which extends between the tops of two mucosal folds GRADE C: Mucosal breaks that extend between the tops of two or more mucosal folds, but which involve less than 75% of the oesophageal circumference GRADE D: Mucosal breaks which involve at least 75% of the oesophageal circumference
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LPR (Abbr) Laryngopharyngeal Reflux LPRD (Abbr) Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Disease, a disease caused by reflux of stomach juice up to the throat, causing inflammation in the pharynx, larynx and the upper respiratory tract. Hoarsness, chronic cough and pain in the throat are the usual symptoms. This very common disease is treated in the same way as oesophageal reflux disease. Lucy-Driscollīs Syndrome Transient neonatal hyperbilirubinemia due to an enzyme inhibitory substance in the motherīs serum. Lundh test meal A method to study the pancreatic secretion by giving the patient a test meal which then is aspirated from the small bowel, and analyzed. Not in common use any more. Lymphocytic colitis A "new" chronic inflammatory bowel disease, one of the microscopic colitides (the other one is collagenous colitis). The main symptom of this disease is chronic watery diarrhea. The colonoscopy finding is normal, but the histopathologic findings include an increased amount of intraepithelial lymphycytes and other signs of chronic inflammation.There is an association between this disease and coeliac disease. There is only limited treatment experience so far. Sulfasalazin, 5-ASA-preparations and cortison can be effective, loperamide is used as symptomatic treatment. Prognosis is generally good.
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