Multiple angiodysplasias diagnosed by capsule endoscopy

Abstract

Capsule endoscopy changed in practice guidelines for obscure bleeding and became the first-line method for evaluation of patient after upper endoscopy and colonoscopy have been shown to be negative. If the examination is performed early, CE could shorten considerably the time to diagnosis, lead to definitive treatment and numerous examinations with low yield could be avoided. The therapy of small bowel angiodysplasias is questionable. Radiological intervention poses the least load for the patient.

Is It Possible to Predict the Presence of Intestinal Angioectasias?

“…The prevalence of those types of lesions varies with patient's age; for instance, SB tumours (such as gastrointestinal stromal cell tumours, carcinoid tumours, adenocarcinomas, and lymphomas), Dieulafoy's lesion, inflammatory bowel disease, and Meckel's diverticulum are the most common causes at younger ages [1, 11, 12], while older patients are more likely to bleed from vascular lesions or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) induced SB disease [1, 12]. Overall, angioectasias are the most common origin of OGIB, being responsible for approximately 30–40% of the cases [3, 13, 14]. Angioectasias consist of dilated, ectatic, tortuous, thin-walled vessels of the mucosa or submucosa, without inflammation or fibrosis [13, 15].…”