Gastrointestinal complications of aortic bypass surgery

Gastrointestinal bleeding following abdominal aortic bypass surgery is not uncommon, as approximately 20% of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms have peptic ulcer disease. We have recently seen three patients who presented with gastrointestinal bleeding secondary to the complications of their surgery. The cause of the bleeding was aortoduodenal fistula, graft erosion into the sigmoid colon and ischaemic colitis respectively. The correct diagnosis was only considered in one patient, although in retrospect it should have been suggested in all three. Our experiences with these complications and their clinical and radiological presentation form the basis for this paper.