Related Experiment Videos
Colonoscopically placed hemoclips as treatment for massive appendiceal stump bleeding.
1Clinical Department of General and Transplant Surgery, University Hospital Innsbruck, Anichstrasse 35, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
Surgical Endoscopy
|January 2, 2004
Summary
Massive bleeding after appendectomy is rare but serious. Endoscopic hemoclip placement successfully treated a patient
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Surgical Complications
Background:
- Massive bleeding from the appendiceal stump is a rare but severe complication following appendectomy.
- Hemorrhage can manifest in the abdominal cavity, retroperitoneum, or digestive tract, occurring early or years post-surgery.
Observation:
- A 33-year-old woman presented with severe lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage one day after an appendectomy.
- Her hemoglobin dropped to 6.3 g/dL, necessitating a blood transfusion.
Findings:
- Emergency colonoscopy identified a small intramural appendiceal artery branch at the stump as the bleeding source.
- Endoscopic hemoclip placement combined with biological tissue adhesive effectively controlled the hemorrhage.
Implications:
- Endoscopic clipping offers a novel, effective, and safe alternative for treating appendiceal stump bleeding.
- This approach may obviate the need for conventional emergency laparotomy, laparoscopy, or angiographic embolization.