Upper gastrointestinal bleeding from uncommon causes in patients with concomitant peptic ulcer: a clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic pitfall.
In the majority of cases, massivm a peptic ulcer arises from the ulcer. On rare occasions, the bleeding emanates from other sites in the gastrointestinal tract. Four patients, all of whom had suffered from peptic ulceration for lengthy periods, and who were referred to hospital with severe bleeding from sources other than peptic ulcer, are presented. This group of patients poses particular diagnostic and therapeutic problems, which are discussed. The need for performing emergency gastroscopy and/or selective angiography, in an attempt to localize the source of bleeding preoperatively, is stressed. In doing so, one is taking into consideration the many difficulties sometimes encountered during operation in locating a bleeding point in a bowel filled with blood clots. In those patients in whom the source of the hemorrhage cannot be ascertained, early surgical intervention is advised, because the bleeding may possibly be coming from a tumor of the small bowel.
D000328:Adult; D000792:Angiography; D005260:Female; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D005773:Gastroscopy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010437:Peptic Ulcer / Q000150:complications*