Arteriographic evaluation of postsurgical stomach

Visceral arteriography was performed in 35 adult patients who had undergone various types of gastric surgery. Nineteen of these patients had presented with gastrointestinal hemorrhage at different postoperative intervals (4 days-23 years). Arteriography showed the bleeding site in 14 (74%) and permitted its nonoperative control in 8 cases. Diffuse hemorrhage from the gastric pouch as well as localized bleeding from suture line, marginal or stress ulcers, and other sources were recognized. Arteriography was also crucial in the diagnosis of iatrogenic arteriovenous fistulas, telangiectasia in the anastomotic regions, inadvertently ligated arteries, and postoperative changes in the vascular architecture. Value and limitations of arteriography of the postsurgical stomach are presented together with a review of the pertinent literature.