[Lower gastrointestinal bleeding: contribution of labeled erythrocytes scintigraphy]

The lower gastrointestinal bleeding is common and somewhat difficult to diagnose. Scintigraphy with 99mTc labeled erythrocytes is a non invasive procedure which allows to demonstrate bleeding and sometimes to locate its origin. We report the case of a 54 year-old patient admitted for repeated digestive bleeding with impaired haemodynamics. Initial radiological assessment including a gastroscopy, a colonoscopy, an angiography and an angio-CT, did not found any active origin of the bleeding. The red blood cells scan helped to localize the site of active bleeding. This investigation technique has taken a prominent position as it is non-invasive, harmless, easy to perform and its ability to detect intermittent bleeding.