Octreotide for recurrent intestinal variceal bleeding in patients without portal hypertension

We report on the efficacy of octreotide acetate in two patients with intestinal phlebectasia and no evidence of portal hypertension or mesenteric thrombosis. Patient 1 was a 46-year-old woman with primary pulmonary arterial hypertension. She required repeated transfusions for recurrent episodes of gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB). Intraoperative enteroscopy revealed wide-spread small bowel phlebectasia and intestinal resection was not performed. Blue rubber-bleb syndrome, portal hypertension and mesenteric thrombosis were ruled out. Octreotide acetate long-acting release was started. A transient interruption in treatment was followed by severe overt GIB. This was effectively controlled with continuous infusion of octreotide acetate. After this episode, octreotide acetate long-acting release was resumed and no further episodes of GIB have been reported until the most recent follow up (total duration of 74 months). Patient 2 was a 51-year-old woman with a history of recurrent GIB requiring multiple blood transfusions since young adulthood with negative endoscopic investigations. An enteroscopy showed numerous submucosal serpiginous varices in the colon and the terminal ileum. All putative causes including portal hypertension or mesenteric thrombosis were ruled out. Monthly intramuscular injections of long-acting octreotide acetate were initiated, and no GIB occurred since then (27 months of follow up). Somatostatin analogues are known to reduce splanchnic blood flow, to increase vascular resistance, to enhance platelet aggregation; and are thus efficacious in preventing GIB secondary to various vascular lesions (portal hypertension, intestinal angiodysplasia and blue rubber-bleb syndrome). These case reports suggest that they are also effective in preventing GIB in intestinal phlebactasia without portal hypertension.