1 Sep 2000Case Report
ANGIODYSPLASIA: AN UNUSUAL CASE OF RECTAL LOCALIZATATION
G. Montesano 1A. Bertagni 1L.S. naro 1A.G. Nasti 1C. Bezzi 1A. Forte 1A. Forte 1P. Palumbo 1G. Soda 2M. Bezzi 3
Affiliations
Article Info
1 Università degli Studi di Roma - “La Sapienza” Dipartimento di Scienze Chirurgiche e Tecnologie Mediche Applicate
2 Dipartimento di Anatomia Patologica
3 Dipartimento di Scienze Chirurgiche e Tecnologie Mediche Applic ate, Università degli Studi di Roma - “La Sapienza”
Ann. Ital. Chir., 2000, 71(5), 609-614;
Published: 1 Sep 2000
Copyright © 2000 Annali Italiani di Chirurgia
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract
The authors report a case of lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage in a 69-year-old male, in which the sequency colonoscopyangiography identified the source of bleeding as a rare Angiodysplasia (AD) of the rectum. Such vascular abnormalities are one of the most common causes of major lower gastrointestinal tract bleeding in the elderly and usually occurs predominantly in the right side of the colon. The clinical presentation of Angiodysplasia is varied and accurate diagnosis usually requires a combination of diagnostic techniques such as colonoscopy and angiography. The optimal management is uncertain and should be individualized for each patient depending on severity and rate of rebleeding. A conservative medical approach is indicated for many patients, while endoscopic treatment does not seem modify the risk of recurrent bleeding. In case of massive hemorrhage or recurrent bleeding surgery still represents the definitive treatment for Angiodysplasia. However the risk of rebleeding following surgery is a considerable problem and varies in literature from 5% to 30%.
Keywords
- Angiodysplasia
- lower gastrointestinal bleeding