Chronic gastrointestinal bleeding of obscure origin: role of small bowel enteroscopy.
The source of blood loss remains undetermined in 5% of patients with chronic gastrointestinal bleeding. A new technique of small bowel enteroscopy with a prototypic sonde-type enteroscope 9 ft in length was used to examine 60 patients referred to the hospital with gastrointestinal bleeding of obscure origin. With an average procedure time of 6 h, the enteroscope migrated to the ileum or beyond in 77% of patients. Thirty-three percent (20 of 60 patients) had the source of blood loss identified within the small bowel at enteroscopy. Small bowel enteroscopy is a useful tool in patients with chronic gastrointestinal bleeding of obscure origin and can be considered when standard invasive and noninvasive modalities have failed to diagnose a site of bleeding.
Lewis
B S
BS
Division of Gastroenterology, Mount Sinai Medical Center (CUNY), New York.
Waye
J D
JD
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001165:Arteriovenous Malformations / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D002908:Chronic Disease; D019723:Endoscopes; D005260:Female; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D007410:Intestinal Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010528:Peristalsis