Gastrointestinal bleeding--diagnosis and management.

ABSTRACT

Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding in infants and children provokes alarm in parents, and often anxiety in pediatricians. While this clinical situation has not changed over the years, advances in endoscopy and radiology, as well as new therapeutic modalities allow more accurate identification of the cause of bleeding and more effective treatment. Although the majority of GI bleeding in the pediatric population is self limiting, a systematic approach including prompt assessment, diagnosis, and treatment is necessary to preclude undue morbidity.