title: Gastric angiodysplasia in patients undergoing maintenance dialysis.
abstract: We successfully used argon plasma coagulation (APC) to treat two cases of dialysis patients with hemorrhagic gastric angiodysplasia. Gastric angiodysplasia is recognized as an important cause of gastrointestinal bleeding. Angiodysplastic lesion confined to the gastric antrum was first described in 1953 and named gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE). The condition is characterized as submucosal capillary dilatation and fibromuscular hyperplasia. The typical finding of GAVE is the so-called watermelon stomach, attributable to vasodilatation. In case 1, a 69-year-old man was introduced continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) in July 1997 because of chronic renal failure due to nephrosclerosis. He was hospitalized for severe anemia in December 1997. Gastrointestinal fiberscopy (GIF) showed oozing in the antrum, and gastritis and esophagitis with sliding hernia. Famotidine was started and recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) was used for anemia. However, the severe anemia did not improve. The patient was hospitalized again for severe anemia and hematemesis. Another GIF showed typical watermelon stomach, which corresponded with GAVE. An APC was performed without complications. Three months later, the anemia was improved, and the dose of rHuEPO was reduced. In case 2, a 57-year-old woman was introduced to hemodialysis in 1998 for uremia due to nephrosclerosis. In October 2000, she was hospitalized for rHuEPO-resistant anemia. A GIF showed oozing in the antrum with diffuse vasodilation in the antrum; GAVE was diagnosed. An APC was carried out without complications. Three months later, anemia was improved. Recently, gastric angiodysplasia was reported to be an important complication in dialysis patients and was recognized as an important cause of rHuEPO-resistant anemia. Argon plasma coagulation is an effective treatment for gastric angiodysplasia in patients on dialysis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Saitama Medical School, Saitama, Japan.
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tomori
authors.forename: Hidetomo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakamoto
authors.forename: Syuhei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kotaki
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishida
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takane
authors.forename: Hironori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nemoto
authors.forename: Yoshihiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kanno
authors.forename: Soichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sugahara
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Hiromichi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suzuki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016888:Angiodysplasia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000150:complications*; D017075:Laser Coagulation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010531:Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory; D013272:Stomach Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery