Gastrointestinal angiomas. Source of recurrent bleeding

Angiomas are mucosal and/or submucosal lesions that cannot be visualized on routine barium x-ray films. Endoscopy can establish the diagnosis in lesions of the upper gastrointestinal tract, and colonoscopy and arteriography are used for examination of the colon. Various endoscopic coagulation devices are available to stop the bleeding and treat the angioma. Our experience indicates that the patient, rather than the type of endoscopic treatment, often dictates outcome. Patients with abnormal bleeding times, chronic renal failure, or severe heart disease often have poorer palliation results, higher complication rates, and faster recurrence rates. Even patients without these poor prognostic factors tend to have recurrences of angiomas and bleeding.