Massive lower gastrointestinal bleeding due to 'Dieulafoy's vascular malformation' of the jejunum: case report.

Abstract

Dieulafoy reported three cases of massive gastric hemorrhage due to a dilated submucosal artery in 1898, and since then, more than 100 cases of this gastric vascular malformation have been reported in the literature. These same pathologic lesions are even a rarer occurrence in the small bowel. This article reports a 38-year-old hypotensive male who presented to the hospital after an acute onset of massive lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage; superior mesenteric angiography demonstrated an actively bleeding lesion in a proximal jejunal branch. Intraoperative small bowel endoscopy via an enterotomy demonstrated a 4 mm bleeding submucosal lesion 30 cm distal to the ligament of Treitz. A literature review revealed six other cases of Dieulafoy's vascular malformation that occurred in the small bowel, with the lesions located in the proximal jejunum between 15 cm and 45 cm distal to the ligament of Treitz. The cause of these lesions is unknown. This case demonstrates the importance of preoperative angiography and intraoperative endoscopy when massive lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage is suspected to be from a small bowel source.