Management of Bleeding Due to Small-Intestinal Angiodysplasias

The small intestine is estimated to be the source of bleeding in approximately 5 to 10% of patients with gastrointestinal bleeding, and angiodysplasias are the most common cause of small-intestinal bleeding. 1,2 Advances in endoscopy (e.g., video capsule endoscopy and deep enteroscopy) have increased the ability to diagnose small-intestinal angiodysplasias that cause bleeding and to treat affected patients, but they have not clearly led to improved long-term outcomes. 2,3 Endoscopic therapy is commonly used to treat small-intestinal angiodysplasias, although supporting evidence is generally of very low quality, and most studies fail to document long-term efficacy. Pooled incidences of rebleeding after endoscopic therapy . . .