title: Idiopathic mesenteric varices causing lower gastrointestinal bleeding.
abstract: We report a case of lower gastrointestinal bleeding caused by idiopathic mesenteric varices. A 25-year-old man presented with a history of two episodes of lower gastrointestinal bleeding without transfusion. Colonoscopy revealed varices of the entire colon and terminal ileum. Intravariceal blood flow was demonstrated by dopplersonography. Vascular abnormalities were excluded by selective angiography of the upper and lower mesenteric artery. No therapy was given without a new episode of bleeding and there has been no further bleeding to date (a period of 14 months). Mesenteric varices are a rare cause of lower gastrointestinal bleeding, almost always associated with portal hypertension. The varices are idiopathic in only a few cases. The therapy depends on the intensity of bleeding, but resection is the most frequent treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Klinikum Ludwigshafen gGmbH, Germany.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schilling
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maier
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kohler
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Würmel
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jakob
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Riemann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003108:Colonic Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008638:Mesenteric Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011859:Radiography; D014648:Varicose Veins / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging