A Case of Bleeding Vascular Malformation of the Jejunum

ABSTRACT

Vascular malformations are known by several names, such as angiodysplasia, vascular ectasia, arteriovenous malformation, and telangictasia. Arteriovenous malformations may occur anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract. The large intestine is the most commonly involved location, usually on the right side. Arteriovenous malformations, which consist of enlarged, tortuous and dilated, often thin-walled blood vessels, usually occur in the submucosa or mucosa. Occasionally, they can cause recurrent and even massive hemorrhage. The authors treated a case of angiodysplasia in the upper jejunum, which caused massive bleeding. A 67-year-old female patient was admitted because of massive lower gastrointestinal bleeding. The bleeding point was found by angiography, injection of methylene-blue dye, and intraoperative endoscopy. The bleeding lesion in jejunal segment was resected, and end-to-end anastomosis was performed. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged on the 10th postoperative day.