title: Surgical management of recurrent colon haemorrhage of unknown origin.
abstract: Although both endoscopy and angiography have profoundly changed the management of lower GI bleeding, the choice, timing and sequence of these procedures as well as the indications for surgery remain a matter of debate. In cases of massive bleeding, early angiography should be performed as the first choice examination. When this fails, exploratory laparotomy, including peroperative colonoscopy after colonic wash-out, should not be discarded as a diagnostic possibility. If no source of bleeding is identified notwithstanding colonoscopic evaluation in excellent conditions, and it can be assumed that the bleeding has ceased, a conservative attitude may reasonably be advocated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastro-intestinal and Laparoscopic Surgery, UHC Brugmann, Free University of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Ch
authors.initials: Ch
authors.lastname: Simoens
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mendes da Costa
mesh_terms: D016888:Angiodysplasia / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D000792:Angiography / Q000379:methods; D003108:Colonic Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D003113:Colonoscopy / Q000379:methods; D043963:Diverticulosis, Colonic / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D012008:Recurrence