peritonitis

Examples of peritonitis in the following topics:

• Peritonitis

  • Fecal peritonitis results from the presence of feces in the peritoneal cavity.
  • Examples include trauma, surgical wound, continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, and intra-peritoneal chemotherapy.
  • Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is a peculiar form of peritonitis occurring in the absence of an obvious source of contamination.
  • Intra-peritoneal dialysis predisposes a patient to peritoneal infection.
  • If untreated, generalized peritonitis is almost always fatal.

• Appendicitis

  • Appendicitis is an inflammation of the appendix generally requiring surgical removal since if it ruptures, it can lead to peritonitis.
  • Untreated, mortality is high, mainly because of the risk of rupture leading to peritonitis and shock.
  • The end result of this cascade is appendiceal rupture (a 'burst appendix') causing peritonitis, which may lead to septicemia and death.
  • Most appendicitis patients recover easily with surgical treatment, but complications can occur if treatment is delayed or if peritonitis occurs.
  • The real possibility of life-threatening peritonitis is the reason why acute appendicitis warrants speedy evaluation and treatment.

• The Peritoneum

  • In one form of dialysis, called peritoneal dialysis, a glucose solution is sent through a tube into the peritoneal cavity.
  • This form of dialysis is effective because of the the high number of arteries and veins in the peritoneal cavity which, through the mechanism of diffusion, remove waste products from the blood.
  • The potential space between these two layers is the peritoneal cavity.
  • This space between the two layers is technically outside of the peritoneal sac, and thus not in the peritoneal cavity.

• Serous Membranes

  • The pericardial cavity (surrounding the heart), pleural cavity (surrounding the lungs), and peritoneal cavity (surrounding most organs of the abdomen) are the three serous cavities within the human body.
  • The pericardial cavity (surrounding the heart), pleural cavity (surrounding the lungs) , and peritoneal cavity (surrounding most organs of the abdomen) are the three serous cavities within the human body .
  • Describe the function of the serous membranes in the pericardial, pleural, and peritoneal cavities

• Peptic Ulcer Disease

  • Rarely, an ulcer can lead to a gastric or duodenal perforation, which leads to acute peritonitis.
  • If a peptic ulcer perforates, air will leak from the inside of the gastrointestinal tract (which always contains some air) to the peritoneal cavity (which normally never contains air).
  • This leads to "free gas" within the peritoneal cavity.
  • Therefore, gas in the peritoneal cavity, shown on an erect chest x-ray or supine lateral abdominal x-ray, is an omen of perforated peptic ulcer disease.

• Serosa

  • The pericardial cavity (surrounding the heart), pleural cavity (surrounding the lungs) and peritoneal cavity (surrounding most organs of the abdomen) are the three serous cavities within the human body.

• Adhesions

  • The term adhesion is applied when the scar extends from within one tissue across to another, usually across a virtual space such as the peritoneal cavity.
  • In body cavities such as the peritoneal, pericardial and synovial cavities, a family of fibrinolytic enzymes may act to limit the extent of the initial fibrinous adhesion, and may even dissolve it.

• Edema Caused by Loss of Plasma Proteins

  • Eventually, the kidneys may fail completely so that a person with the disease needs hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, or a kidney transplant to survive.

• Metastasis Through Lymphatic Vessels

  • Transcoelomic: The spread of a malignancy into body cavities can occur via seeding the surface of the peritoneal, pleural, pericardial, or subarachnoid spaces.

• Autonomic Reflexes

  • If the peritoneal cavity becomes inflamed or if the bowel is suddenly distended, the body will interpret the afferent pain stimulus as somatic in origin.