Interventional management of lower gastrointestinal bleeding.

Link to article at PubMed

Related Articles

Interventional management of lower gastrointestinal bleeding.

Eur Radiol. 2008 May;18(5):857-67

Authors: Weldon DT, Burke SJ, Sun S, Mimura H, Golzarian J

Lower gastrointestinal bleeding (LGIB) arises from a number of sources and is a significant cause of hospitalization and mortality in elderly patients. Whereas most episodes of acute LGIB resolve spontaneously with conservative management, an important subset of patients requires further diagnostic workup and therapeutic intervention. Endovascular techniques such as microcatheter embolization are now recognized as safe, effective methods for controlling LGIB that is refractory to endoscopic intervention. In addition, multidetector CT has shown the ability to identify areas of active bleeding in a non-invasive fashion, enabling more focused intervention. Given the relative strengths and weaknesses of various diagnostic and treatment modalities, a close working relationship between interventional radiologists, gastroenterologists and diagnostic radiologists is necessary for the optimal management of LGIB patients.

PMID: 18185932 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *