Decoding the Vascular Code: Angiectasias and Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding—A Case Report
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61182/rnavmed.v11n1a3Keywords:
Anemia, Angiectasia, ColonoscopyAbstract
Introduction: Gastrointestinal angiectasias are vascular malformations that can cause recurrent bleeding, especially in older adults.
Objective: To describe the case of a patient with severe anemia secondary to colonic angiectasia and its successful treatment. Methods: A 78-year-old male patient, attended at a tertiary level hospital, presented severe anemia (hemoglobin: 7.1 g/dL). Endoscopic studies were performed: an esophagogastroduodenoscopy, which was normal except for a mild antral gastropathy, and a colonoscopy, in which an angiectasia of approximately 4 mm was detected. Results: The vascular lesion identified at colonoscopy was treated by endoscopic argon plasma ablation, achieving complete resolution of the gastrointestinal bleeding. Conclusion: Angiectasis should be considered in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal bleeding in older adults; therapeutic endoscopy is effective for its management.
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Copyright (c) 2025 David Fernando Ortiz-Pérez, Guillermo Olaya-Villarreal , Jorge Armando Yepes-Caro , Jean Carlos Pinto-Angarita, Fernando Luis García-Del Risco
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