ICCE Consensus for Obscure Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Abstract

The annual incidence of gastrointestinal bleeding in the United States has been conservatively estimated at approximately 100 episodes per 100,000 persons, accounting for approximately 300,000 hospitalizations per year [1]. Obscure gastrointestinal bleeding represents about 5 % of those patients with gastrointestinal bleeding of any type. It is defined as bleeding of unknown origin that persists or recurs (i. e., recurrent or persistent iron-deficiency anemia, fecal occult blood test positivity, or visible bleeding) after a negative initial or primary endoscopy (upper and/or lower gastrointestinal endoscopy) [2]. The source of bleeding is frequently located in the small bowel and can result from a number of conditions, including vascular lesions, tumors, and inflammatory lesions.