Haemorrhage from the pancreatic duct: a rare form of upper gastrointestinal bleeding

Recurrent upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage arising from the pancreatic duct presents diagnostic difficulties. Bleeding can be secondary to pancreatic disease (pancreatitis, pseudocysts) or vascular disorders (aneurysms of the splanchic arteries). Of the 5 cases reported here, 3 involved a ruptured aneurysm of the splenic artery and 2 chronic pancreatitis. Attacks of colicky pain in the left epigastric region associated with haematemesis and/or melaena were characteristic symptoms. Pancreatectomy controlled the bleeding in 4 and ligation of the splenic artery and the pancreatic duct in one. Fifty-five patients with similar pathology have been previously reported, suggesting that this syndrome should be borne in mind when gastrointestinal haemorrhage of obscure origin is encountered. If routine endoscopy does not reveal the site of the haemorrhage and there are no signs of cholestasis, endoscopic retrograde pancreatography (ERP) and selective coeliac arteriography should be performed to evaluate the possibility of haemorrhage from the pancreatic duct. Surgical management depends on the site of the causative lesion.