Making decisions using radiology in lower GI hemorrhage

Acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding (LGIB) is a common diagnosis in current practice that may warrant hospitalization and invasive management. There is a shift in the paradigm in the management of this condition away from traditional extensive operative intervention to minimally invasive radiological techniques. These newer modalities offer an opportunity to provide more accurate information on location of bleeding and subsequent management. The increased ease of access to interventional radiology units in major teaching hospitals represents an opportunity to adopt its use in the management of gastrointestinal bleeding. Further, with technological improvements, it is becoming an increasingly favoured option. Traditional endoscopic techniques have been fraught with poor vision in the acute setting, requiring the colon to be purged to aide in better visualization. The use of these newer technologies have been the subject of many reviews which highlight their efficacy in providing a road map to the bleeding site and eventual intervention. We aim to review the literature regarding the use of radiology in the management of LGIB, to provide surgeons with a discourse with regards to the approach in synthesizing the data and applying it when deciding its use.