[Clinical experiences with a new method of laser coagulation in gastrointestinal hemorrhages]

Endoscopic laser-coagulation was used 94 times in 14 patients to stop gastro-intestinal bleeding or coagulate potential bleeding sources during non-bleeding intervals. Lasting haemostasis was achieved in three cases of incomplete gastric erosion, one of gastric ulcer, one of duodenal ulcer and one of bleeding after antral rugectomy. It failed to stop severe arterial bleeding in a case of gastric carcinoma. Lasting haemostasis was achieved in six haemangiomas of the colon, one case of angiomatosis of the antrum with 62 individual sites, two of angiodysplasia of the colon, 17 lesions in Osler's disease of the oesophagus (2 cases), stomach (10) and duodenum (5). The procedure was performed in the course of diagnostic endoscopy with an argon-ion laser developed by the authors, which has a density of 0.7-1.3 W/mm2. No complications have been observed so far.