Bleeding small bowel angiodysplasia: unusual form of conservative treatment

: The authors report a case of gastrointestinal bleeding caused by angiodysplasia of the small bowel. They stress the rarity of the lesion and consider the difficulties involved in obtaining a preoperative diagnosis. Intra- or pre-operative enteroscopy seems to be the most suitable method for identifying the source of occult small-bowel bleeding. The optimal management is uncertain and depends on the severity and rate of the bleeding. A conservative medical approach is indicated for many patients, while surgery constitutes definitive treatment in cases of massive haemorrhage or recurrent bleeding. The authors describe a case in which the diagnosis was reached only at intra-operative enteroscopy and an unusual conservative surgical treatment was performed based on ligation of the vascular elements of the angiodysplasia. This method makes it possible to avoid an intestinal resection and yields good results.