SYMPTOMS/EXAM
■ A mass is noted in the rectum following defecation or straining, or even
upon standing.
■ Other symptoms include bloody mucous discharge, fecal incontinence,
dull pain.
DIAGNOSIS
■ All adult patients should be referred for endoscopy to rule out tumor,
polyps, IBD, or rectal ulcer.
TREATMENT
■ Manual reduction in infants
■ Surgical intervention in adults unless prolapse is minimal; if there is vas-
cular compromise, emergent surgery
Anorectal Tumors
See Table 11.11.
SYMPTOMS/EXAM
■ Nonspecific symptoms: Pruritus, pain, bleeding with stool, sensation of a
lump
■ Progressive anorexia, weight loss, diarrhea, constipation, tenesmus
■ Detectable by careful visual and digital examination
DIAGNOSIS/TREATMENT
■ Any ulcer that fails to heal in 30 days or any discrete skin lesion that does
not improve should be biopsied.
■ Surgical consult
LIVER DISORDERS
Hepatitis
Viral hepatitis affects 200,000–700,000 Americans each year. Hepatitis B and
C can progress to chronic hepatitis, and hepatitis C is the number one reason
patients require liver transplantation in the United States.
ABDOMINAL AND GASTROINTESTINAL
EMERGENCIES
The anus is the third most
common site for melanoma
metastasis, after the eye and
the skin.
TABLE 11.11. Classification of Anorectal Tumors by Location
TYPE LOCATION CELLTYPE CANCERS OUTCOME
Analcanal Proximal to dentate Transition zone between Adenocarcinoma, High-grade malignant
line squamous cell and columnar melanoma, transitional potential;metastasize
epithelium of rectum cell carcinoma, Kaposi early; poor prognosis
sarcoma, villous adenoma
Analmargin Distal to dentate Squamous cell Bowen’s, squamous cell Lower grade malignant
line carcinoma, basal cell potential, slow to
carcinoma, Paget disease metastasize
Hepatitis C is the number one
reason patients require liver
transplantation in the United
States.