Clinical investigation of acute lower gastrointestinal haemorrhage.
Over a four-year period (1984-1987) nine consecutive patients presented with acute lower gastrointestinal haemorrhage requiring emergency investigation with scintigraphy (using radionuclide-labelled blood-pool agent), angiography or colonoscopy or a combination of these. Angiography in two patients was unhelpful. Of three colonoscopic examinations, two were technically unsatisfactory. In two patients with persistent bleeding requiring urgent surgery, scintigraphy located the bleeding site pre-operatively, while in five patients with negative scintigraphy bleeding settled spontaneously without operative intervention. The relative merits of the above investigations are discussed.
McMahon
A J
AJ
Hansell
D T
DT
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003108:Colonic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012007:Rectum