HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Barnacle, A. M. Articles by Jackson, J. E. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Barnacle, A. M. Articles by Jackson, J. E. Social Bookmarking                      What's this? Hotlight (NEW!) What's Hotlight?

Angiographic Diagnosis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Patients Presenting with Gastrointestinal Bleeding

¹ Department of Imaging, Great Ormond St. Hospital for Children, London, United Kingdom.
² Department of Imaging, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Rd., London W12 0HS, United Kingdom.

OBJECTIVE. The objective of our study was to review the final diagnosis and outcome in patients undergoing visceral angiography for gastrointestinal hemorrhage in whom a diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) had been suspected on the basis of angiographic findings.

MATERIALS AND METHODS. A retrospective review was performed of all visceral angiography referrals over a 10-year period. During that time, 522 visceral angiograms were obtained for the investigation of acute or chronic gastrointestinal bleeding. IBD was reported as a possible or probable diagnosis based on the angiographic findings in 43 patients (8.2%) (male-to-female ratio, 23:20; age range, 11-79 years; mean age, 48.6 years).

RESULTS. Active IBD was confirmed in 25 (58%) of these 43 individuals (male-to-female ratio, 15:10; mean age, 46.5 years), representing 4.8% of all patients referred for the investigation of gastrointestinal bleeding. In 14 of these individuals, a diagnosis of IBD had not been suspected previously. A diagnosis other than IBD was found to be the cause of the angiographic findings in seven subjects. In the 32 patients in whom a cause for the angiographic findings was identified, IBD was the diagnosis in 25 (78%).

CONCLUSION. In a group of patients referred for angiography to investigate acute or chronic gastrointestinal bleeding, IBD can be expected to be the cause in approximately 5%. Radiologists should be aware of the angiographic abnormalities seen in patients with IBD and be prepared to consider this diagnosis even if the results of other previous investigations have been reported as normal.

Keywords: angiography • gastrointestinal bleeding • inflammatory bowel disease

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?