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Angiodysplasia of the colon and small intestine

Last reviewed: 17 Jan 2025
Last updated: 14 Feb 2025

Summary

Definition

History and exam

Key diagnostic factors

  • gastrointestinal bleeding
Full details

Other diagnostic factors

  • age >60 years
  • shortness of breath
  • fatigue
  • pallor
  • tachycardia
  • hypotension
Full details

Risk factors

  • chronic renal failure/end-stage renal disease
  • von Willebrand disease
  • aortic stenosis
  • scleroderma
  • cardiovascular disease
  • increasing age
Full details

Diagnostic tests

1st tests to order

  • CBC
  • blood type and crossmatch
  • blood chemistry
  • esophagogastroduodenoscopy
  • colonoscopy
Full details

Tests to consider

  • wireless capsule enteroscopy
  • CT angiography
  • selective mesenteric angiography
  • technetium Tc-99m radionuclide scan
  • CT enterography
  • push enteroscopy or device-assisted enteroscopy
Full details

Emerging tests

  • magnetic resonance angiography

Treatment algorithm

ACUTE

hemodynamically unstable (severe hemorrhage)

hemodynamically stable

ONGOING

recurrent bleed

Contributors

Authors

Reena Sidhu, MD, FRCP

Consultant Gastroenterologist

Royal Hallamshire Hospital

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Hon Professor

Division of Clinical Medicine

School of Medicine and Population Health

University of Sheffield

Sheffield

UK

Disclosures

RS has received speaker fees and congress travel grants (Dr Falk 2021 & 2023). RS has attended ANx Robotica symposium 2023. RS is an author of a reference cited in this topic.

Nicoletta Nandi, MD

Clinical Fellow

Academic Unit of Gastroenterology

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Sheffield

UK

Disclosures

NN declares that she has no competing interests.

Acknowledgements

Prof Reena Sidhu and Dr Nicoletta Nandi would like to gratefully acknowledge Dr Aidan Shaw, Dr Heather Lee, and Dr William Speake, previous contributors to this topic.

Disclosures

AS, HL, and WS declare that they have no competing interests.

Peer reviewers

Alessandro Fichera, MD, FACS, FASCRS

Assistant Professor

Department of Surgery

University of Chicago

Chicago

IL

Disclosures

AF declares that he has no competing interests.

David J. Hackam, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Pediatric Surgery

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Pittsburgh

PA

Disclosures

DJH declares that he has no competing interests.

  • Angiodysplasia of the colon and small intestine images
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