A Case of a Vascular Mass Treated with Double Balloon Enteroscopy

Ahn, Jae Hong; Choi, Jai Hyun; Park, Eun Bum; Lee, Sun Jae; Suh, Sang Jun; Kim, Dong Il; Jung, Sung Woo; Koo, Ja Seol; Yim, Hyung Joon; Lee, Hong Sik; Lee, Sang Woo

Abstract

Obscure gastrointestinal bleeding is defined as an intermittent or continuous loss of blood in which the source has not been identified after an upper endoscopy and colonoscopy. Small bowel bleeding is one of the most common causes of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding and constitutes 2~10% of all gastrointestinal bleeding. As the small intestine lies in the mid-portion of the intestine and has a long length, it is difficult to diagnose and treat small bowel bleeding using conventional endoscopy. Although the development of wireless capsule endoscopy has increased the diagnosis rate of small bowel disease, the use of capsule endoscopy has some limitations. The use of capsule endoscopy depends on intestinal peristalsis, and while visual diagnosis is possible, obtaining a biopsy or providing treatment is not possible with the use of the procedure. Capsule endoscopy has a few other limitations, such as the lack of air insufflation and the unavailability of rinsing. The use of the new double balloon enteroscopy procedure has advantages over the use of capsule endoscopy. With this method, it is possible to obtain biopsies and it is possible to perform therapeutic procedures, rinsing and air insufflation. We report a case of a vascular mass of the small bowel with recurrent bleeding, which was treated with endoscopic sclerotherapy.