Challenges in Diagnosing and Managing Dieulafoy’s Lesions: A Case Report Highlighting the Importance of Clinical Suspicion and Multidisciplinary Approach in Obscure Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding remains a significant cause of hospital admissions. Even though the incidence of peptic ulcer disease and gastritis is decreasing, the incidence rates in neoplasm, Dieulafoy’s lesions, angiodysplasia, and esophagitis are trending up, which necessities physicians to be aware of those pathologies and their specifics. Here, we represent a case of a 62-year-old male on dual antiplatelet therapy who was transferred to our hospital due to severe melena with suspicion of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Due to hemodynamic instability, the patient was intubated and started on vasopressors. However, several repeated EGDs and CTs of the abdomen with GI bleeding protocol did not reveal the location of active bleeding to stop it. At the same time, clinically, the patient was hemodynamically unstable with continued melena. On the last EGD, a small area of concern resembling gastric varix was clipped for identification purposes, and the patient underwent a selective angiogram with further diagnosis of Dieulafoy’s lesion, which was successfully embolized. Our case demonstrates that Dieulafoy’s lesions can present as severe life-threatening hemorrhage, hard to diagnose with traditional methods such as EGD or CTs, in which case it is recommended to proceed with an angiogram sooner rather than later for further diagnosis and treatment if needed.

Endoscopic treatment and follow-up of gastrointestinal Dieulafoy's lesions

AIM: To investigate retrospectively the clinical and endoscopic features of bleeding Dieulafoy's lesions and to assess the short- and long-term effectiveness of endoscopic treatment.METHODS: Twenty-three patients who had gastrointestinal bleeding from Dieulafoy's lesions underwent endoscopic therapy. Demographic data, mode of presentation, riskfactors for gastrointestinal bleeding, blood transfusion requirements, endoscopic findings, details of endoscopic therapy, recurrence of bleeding, and mortality rates were collected and analyzed retrospectively.RESULTS: Hemostasis was attempted by dextrose 50% plus epinephrine in 10 patients, hemoclipping in 8 patients,heater probe in 2 patients and ethanolamine oleate in 2 patients. Comorbid conditions were present in 17 patients (74%). Overall permanent hemostasis was achieved in 18 patients (78%). Initial hemostasis was successful with no recurrent bleeding in patients treated with hemoclipping, heater probe or ethanolamine injection. In the group of patients who received dextrose 50% plus epinephrine injection treatment, four (40%) had recurrent bleeding and one (10%) had unsuccessful initial hemostasis.Of the four patients who had rebleeding, three had unsuccessful hemostasis with similar treatment. Surgical treatment was required in five patients (22%) owing to uncontrolled bleeding, recurrent bleeding with unsuccessful retreatment and inability to approach the lesion. One patient (4.3%) died of sepsis after operation during hospitalization. There were no side-effects related to endoscopic therapy. None of the patients in whom permanent hemostasis was achieved presented with rebleeding from Dieulafoy's lesion over a mean long-term follow-up of 29.8 mo.CONCLUSION: Bleeding from Dieulafoy's lesions can be managed successfully by endoscopic methods, which should be regarded as the first choice. Endoscopic hemoclipping therapy is recommended for bleeding Dieulafoy's lesions.

Clinical presentation and endoscopic management of Dieulafoy's lesions in an urban community hospital

AIM:To identify rates of occurrence,common clinical and endoscopic features,and to review the outcome of endoscopic management of Dieulafoy's lesions in the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract in an urban community hospital setting. METHODS:Endoscopic data from esophagogastroduo denoscopies (EGDs),done at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center,Brooklyn,NY between 2000 and 2006 were reviewed to identify patients with Dieulafoy's lesions. Demographic data,medical history,examination findings,lab data,endoscopic findings and details of therapy for patients treated for Dieulafoy's lesions were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS:Dieulafoy's lesions were documented to be the cause of bleeding in approximately 1% of patients presenting with upper gastrointestinal bleeding,while they were detected in only 2 patients when the indications for EGDs were different from active GI bleeding. When we analyzed EGDs performed in patients above age 65 years presenting with gastrointestinal bleeding,prevalence of Dieulafoy's lesions approached 10 percent. The most common location of the lesion was the body of stomach (7),followed by the cardia (4) and the esophagus (2). One patient had this lesion in the fundus and one patient in the duodenal apex. All patients were initially treated endoscopically with epinephrine injection,in eight cases heater probe was applied following epinephrine and endoscopic clips were applied in two cases. All but one of the patients did well in near and intermediate term follow-up (average follow-up period of 18 mo). One patient died of multi-organ failure during the same hospital stay. Average length hospital stay was 7 d.CONCLUSION:Community hospital gastroenterologists and endoscopists should be aware that Dieulafoy's lesions are an uncommon cause of upper GI bleeding among elderly patients. Early accurate diagnosis through emergent endoscopy and endoscopic therapy,especially in patients with multiple co-morbid conditions,can be very effective and life saving.

Uremic Bleeding in 2 Patients with Dieulafoy’s Lesion: Case Report and Literature Review

Dieulafoy’s lesions are rare vascular malformations of the gastrointestinal tract. A Dieulafoy’s lesion is an aberrant vessel that does not reduce in caliber when it extends from the submucosa to the mucosa. Damage to this artery can cause severe and intermittent arterial bleeding from small vascular stumps that are difficult to visualize. Furthermore, these catastrophic bleeding episodes frequently result in hemodynamic instability and the need for transfusion of multiple blood products. Recently, uremic syndrome has been identified as a risk factor for gastric mucosal lesions. We present two clinical cases of acute digestive bleeding due to Dielafoy lesion with chronic kidney disease as the main cause, where two different therapies were performed endoscopically. We concluded with the results of our patients that the best therapy was the application of the hemostatic hemoclip on the injury vs the injection with adrenaline on the wound site. Uremia is identified as a risk factor for upper gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with pre-existing Dieulafoy’s lesion, as well as a higher incidence of new bleeding.

Prognostic factors for recurrence of gastrointestinal bleeding due to Dieulafoy's lesion

AIM： To analyze the effectiveness of the endoscopic therapy and to identify prognostic factors for recurrent bleeding. METHODS： Retrospective study of patients with gas- trointestinal bleeding secondary to Dieulafoy＇s lesion （DL） from 2005 to 2011. We analyzed the demographic characteristics of the patients, risk factors for gastro- intestinal bleeding, endoscopic findings, characteristics of the endoscopic treatment, and the recurrence of bleeding. We included cases in which endoscopy de- scribed a lesion compatible with Dieulafoy. We exclud- ed patients who had potentially bleeding lesions such as angiodysplasia in other areas or had undergone other gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures. RESULTS： Twenty-nine patients with DL were identi- fied. Most of them were men with an average age of 71.5 years. Fifty-five percent of the patients received antiaggregatory or anticoagulant therapy. The most common location for DL was the stomach （51.7%）. The main type of bleeding was oozing in 65.5% of cases. In 27.6% of cases, there was arterial （spurting） bleeding, and 6.9% of the patients presented with an adherent clot. A single endoscopic treatment was ap- plied to nine patients （31%）, eight of them with adren- aline and one with argon, while 69% of the patients received combined treatment. Six patients （20.7%） presented with recurrent bleeding at a median of 4 d after endoscopy （interquartile range = 97.75）. Within these six patients, the new endoscopic treatment ob- tained a therapeutic success of 100%. The presence of arterial bleeding at endoscopy was associated with a higher recurrence rate for bleeding （50% vs 33.3% for other type of bleeding） rP = 0.024, odds ratio （OR） = 8.5, 95% CI = 1.13-63.87]. The use of combined en- doscopic treatment prevented the recurrence of bleed- ing （10% vs 44.4% of single treatment） （P = 0.034, OR = 0.14, 95% CI = 0.19-0.99）. CONCLUSION： Endoscopic treatment of DL is safe and effective. Adrenaline monotherapy and arterial （spurting） bleeding are associated with a high rate of bleeding recurrence.

Clinical and endoscopic analysis of gastric Dieulafoy’s lesion

AIM:To investigate the incidence,location,clinical presentation,diagnosis and effectiveness of endoscopic treatment of gastric Dieulafoy's lesion(DL)in China. METHODS:All patients who received emergency upper gastrointestinal(GI)endoscopy due to gastric DL from February 2000 to August 2008 at GI endoscopy center of Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University were included in this study.The clinical presentation,medical history,location and characteristics of DL methods and effectiveness of therapy of patients with DL were retrospectively analysed by chart reviews.Long-term follow-up data were collected at outpatient clinics or telephone interviews. RESULTS:Fifteen patients were diagnosized with DL,which account for 1.04%of the source of bleed- ing in acute non-variceal upper GI bleeding.Common comorbidities were found in one patient with hypertension and diabetic mellitus.Hemoclip or combined therapy with hemoclip produced primary hemostasis in 92.8%(13/14) of patients. CONCLUSION:DL is uncommon but life-threatening in China.Hemoclip proved to be safe and effective in controlling bleeding from DL.

Efficacy of endoscopic therapy for gastrointestinal bleeding from Dieulafoy’s lesion

AIM： To investigate the endoscopic hemostasis for gastrointestinal bleeding due to Dieulafoy＇s lesion. METHODS： One hundred and seven patients with gastrointestinal bleeding due to Dieulafoy＇s lesion were treated with three endoscopic hemostasis methods： aethoxysklerol injection （46 cases）, endoscopic hemoclip hemostasis （31 cases）, and a combination of hemoclip hemostasis with aethoxysklerol injection （30 cases）. RESULTS： The rates of successful hemostasis using the three methods were 71.7% （33/46）, 77.4% （24/31） and 96.7% （29/30）, respectively, with significant differences between the methods （P 〈 0.05）. Among those who had unsuccessful treatment with aethoxysklerol injection, 13 were treated with hemoclip hemostasis and 4 underwent surgical operation; 9 cases were successful in the injection therapy. Among the cases with unsuccessful treatment with hemoclip hemostasis,7 were treated with injection of aethoxysklerol and 3 cases underwent surgical operation; 4 cases were successful in the treatment with hemoclip hemostasis. Only 1 case had unsuccessful treatment with a combined therapy of hemoclip hemostasis and aeth- oxysklerol injection, and surgery was then performed. No serious complications of perforation occurred in the patients whose bleeding was treated with the endoscopic hemostasis, and no releeding was found during a 1-year follow-up. CONCLUSION： The combined therapy of hemoclip hemostasis with aethoxysklerol injection is the most effective method for gastrointestinal bleeding due to Dieulafoy＇s lesion.

Actively bleeding Dieulafoy's lesion of the small bowel identified by capsule endoscopy and treated by push enteroscopy

Dieulafoy＇s lesion is an unusual cause of recurrent GI bleeding. This report describes a case of actively bleeding Dieulafoy＇s lesion of the small bowel in which the diagnosis was made by capsule endoscopy, followed by treatment with the use of push enteroscopy. The case illustrates that capsule endoscopy and enteroscopy are highly complementary in patients with small bowel diseases.

Therapeutic endoscopy of a Dieulafoy lesion in a 10-year-old girl:A case report

BACKGROUND There are multiple causes of sudden gastrointestinal bleeding in children.Reports of Dieulafoy lesions(DLs)in children are scarce.DLs can be fatal without appropriate treatment.CASE SUMMARY We present a retrospective analysis of the clinical manifestations,endoscopic features,and treatment of a Chinese girl with a DL,as well as a review of the relevant literature.A 10-year-old girl was admitted to our hospital with sudden massive hematemesis and melena.Abdominal computed tomography revealed suspected submucosal bleeding in the stomach.Finally,the disease was diagnosed with endoscopy due to the typical manifestations.We used electrocoagulation and hemoclips under endoscopy for hemostasis.No recurrence of hematemesis was identified during 4-wk’follow-up.CONCLUSION DLs in children are rare but an important cause of sudden gastrointestinal hemorrhage.Many pediatricians are inexperienced and often miss or delay diagnosis.Endoscopy as early as possible is the first choice for diagnosis and treatment.

An Infant with Dieulafoy’s Lesion: A Case Report from the Philippines

This is a case of a 5-month-old infant who experienced repeated episodes of hematemesis and no known underlying health conditions. It was subsequently diagnosed as Dieulafoy’s lesion localized in the lesser curvature of the stomach. Endoscopic diagnosis and treatment were done by angiographic embolization. Dieulafoy’s lesion is considered rare even for adult cases, much more for pediatric patients and usually underdiagnosed. Hence, patients presenting with gastrointestinal bleeding should be managed in a multidisciplinary approach. Spreading awareness about this lesion by including it in the considerations, may help improve early detection and treatment.

Cecum Dieulafoy＇s Lesion Presenting with Recurrent Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding： Case Report

Introduction： Gastrointestinal Dieulafoy＇s lesion is a rare entity, of unknown etiology, and corresponds to an arterial malformation at the submucosal space that can be a source of life-threatening hemorrhage. We report a case of a Cecum Dieulafoy＇s bleeding lesion that was managed endoscopically with a favorable outcome. Case report： Female, 70-year-old, diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, hypothyroidism, and chronic heart failure associated with rheumatic mitral stenosis, submitted to biological valve replacement in 2006 and with permanent atrial fibrillation using vitamin K antagonist anticoagulant for thrombosis prophylaxis. Her background includes a stroke in 2004 without any permanent disability. In 2016, the patient experienced voluptuous and painless lower gastrointestinal bleeding with severe acute anemia, requiring hospital admission, fluid resuscitation and blood transfusion. Urgent colonoscopy revealed a small reddish vascular malformation at the cecum with oozing active bleeding, about 3 mm in size. Initially argon plasma coagulation was performed with satisfactory and immediate hemostasis. One week later, she recurred with hematochezia. The lesion at the cecum was reassessed and it was possible to notice a large caliber vessel surrounded by a normal appearance mucosa, compatible with Dieulafoy＇s lesion and it was treated with an endoscopic clip placement with a good long-term response. Conclusion： Endoscopy is the method of choice for diagnosis of Dieulafuy＇s lesion and may provide efficient treatment with mechanical hemostasis such as endoclip placement with a high success rate.

Dieulafoy’s Lesion of the Duodenum: The Management of This Unusual Location

Dieulafoy lesion (DL) is a rare source of gastrointestinal tract bleeding that can affect any site of the gastrointestinal tract, particularly the stomach and less commonly the duodenum. Early endoscopy during a bleeding episode is essential for an accurate diagnosis and sometimes multiple endoscopies are needed to establish the diagnosis. In this report, we describe a case of duodenal DL detected and treated by endoscopy. We report the case of a 65-year-old patient admitted for massive upper gastrointestinal bleeding due to a Dieulafoy lesion of the duodenum. Endoscopic diagnosis and treatment were possible and hemostasis was achieved by injecting adrenaline and placing 3 clips. Various effective endoscopic techniques are available to control bleeding, the combination of injection therapy and mechanical therapy reduces the risk of recurrence.