[Use of intraoperative enteroscopy as a diagnostic method in patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. Initial...

Bleeding of dark origin is a rare entity and it is reserved for cases in which exploration of the small intestine has already been performed (endoscopic / radiological) without finding the cause. Currently, the gold standard is the videocapsule which has been described as a safe, useful and effective technique for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the small intestine.

The objective was to describe demographic variables, indications, findings, explored segment, treatment and time of the surgical procedure of the intraoperative enteroscopy in 15 patients with a diagnosis of gastrointestinal bleeding of dark origin.

15 adult patients with the diagnosis of bleeding of dark origin with panendoscopy and negative colonoscopy to bleeding were included. All of these underwent exploratory laparotomy and intraoperative enteroscopy with a gastroduodenoscope.

15 intraoperative enteroscopies were performed with a gastroduodenoscope; 10 women and 5 men with an average age of 67.2 years. Third and fourth portions of the duodenum, jejunum, and terminal ileum were explored. The diagnoses found were Crohn's disease 1 (6.66%), Adenomas 2 (13.3%), jejunal diverticulum 6 (40%) and angiectasias in 6 cases (40%). The location was in jejunum, 12 cases (80%) and ileum, 3 cases (20%).

Intraoperative enteroscopy is a diagnostic alternative in bleeding of dark origin when there is no double balloon enteroscopy or endoscopic video capsule.