Complications

What Is Melanoma? Melanoma is a cutaneous malignancy with rapid invasion and metastasis to other parts of the body. Melanoma is characterized by growth from melanocytes appearing as a new mole or enlarging from an exisiting mole, changing shape, size ...

What Is Parathyroid Carcinoma? Parathyroid carcinoma is a slow growing rare malignancy involving overactive parathyroid glands and is characterized by profound hypercalcemia (elevated blood calcium level), parathyroid hormone levels of more than 3 times upper normal limits, and palpable neck mass.1 ...

What Is Occult Gastrointestinal Bleeding? Occult gastrointestinal bleeding is characterized by unseen or minute quantities of blood in stool. The origin of bleeding is from mucosa that lines the inside of the digestive tract at a site that must be ...

What Is Volvulus? Volvulus is twisting of a loop(s) of bowel onto itself which effectively closes it thus preventing digested matter from passing and causing engorgement of the closed loop with gas and fluid. Q: How does the bowel get ...

What Is Postbulbar Duodenal Ulceration/Stenosis? Postbulbar duodenal ulceration is a chronic inflammatory disorder characterized by thickening of the intestinal lining with excoriation penetrating the muscularis mucosae (muscle layer of the intestine) associated with villous atrophy. The ulcer is well-defined. Stenosis ...

What Is Chronic Ulcerative Jejunitis? Chronic ulcerative jejunitis is a disease of the small intestine that is characterized by inflammation and ulceration of the mucosal lining of the jejunum. Q: How do inflammation and ulceration affect digestion in the jejunum? A: ...

What Are Erosions In The Second Part Of The Duodenum? Erosions in the second part of the duodenum typically are superficial excoriations (sores) in the mucosal lining that do not penetrate into the muscle layer as does an ulcer. Of ...

What Is Collagenous Gastritis? Collagenous gastritis is a rarely reported stomach disorder characterized by the deposition of a subepithelial collagen band and accompanying inflammatory infiltrate in the stomach wall. A subepithelial collagen band means that collagen, a tough fibrous protein, has ...

What Are Multiple Gastric Ulcerations? Multiple gastric ulcerations denote a stomach disorder that involves damage to the superficial mucosa characterized by many sores of the stomach antrum that are marked by inflammation, necrosis (death of the affected cells) and sloughing of ...

What Is Esophageal Small Cell Cancer (Carcinoma)? Esophageal small cell carcinoma is a rare and aggressive malignancy arising in the esophagus with a poor prognosis. Q: Where does the cancer occur in the esophagus? A: Esophageal cancer can occur anywhere in ...

What Is Cancer Of The Esophagus? Cancer of the esophagus is a malignancy arising in the stratified squamous cell lining of any part of the esophagus and having a poor prognosis. This tumor first invades the deeper layers of the ...

What Is Post-Cricoid Carcinoma? Post-cricoid carcinoma is a rare malignancy arising in the hypopharynx. Q: What is the hypopharynx? A: The hypopharynx is the lower portion of the pharynx that opens into the larynx. It is comprised of the postcricoid ...

What Is Laryngospasm? Laryngospasm is an acute disorder of the larynx that is characterized by life-threatening spasms of the muscles of the larynx located in the throat. Laryngospasm is a rare feature of hypocalcemia (low blood calcium level) characterized by ...

What Is Atherosclerosis? Atherosclerosis is a disease of arteries involving the buildup of fatty material called plaque along the walls of medium and large arteries characterized by patchy subintimal thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of blood vessels. The intima is the ...