Successful Colectomy for the Treatment of Repetitive Bleeding from Colonic Angiodysplasia in a Patient with Heyde Syndrome

Abstract

A 64-year-old man with repetitive gastrointestinal bleeding was admitted to our hospital. Colonic artery angiography revealed angiodysplasia as the bleeding site, and echocardiography showed aortic valve stenosis. A decrease in the high molecular weight von Willebrand factor multimers, which are known to play an important role in hemostasis, was observed, and Heyde syndrome was diagnosed. We selected colectomy instead of aortic valve replacement because the patient had undergone two open heart surgeries. Following colectomy, the patient showed a good clinical course without recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding. Colectomy might serve as a therapeutic option for Heyde syndrome after the precise site of angiodysplasia is detected by angiography.