Blue Rubber Bleb Nevi as a cause of intussusception

The Blue Rubber Bleb Nevus syndrome is a rare disease characterized by a distinctive type of hemangioma which involves the skin and the gastrointestinal tract. In the latter location, these lesions are often responsible for chronic blood loss and secondary anemia, and in rare situations may act as a leading point for an intussusception. The diagnosis of intussusception in children older than 3 or 4 yr is frequently difficult and delayed. In a child with typical skin lesions of the Blue Rubber Bleb Nevus syndrome, an acute illness with manifestations of intestinal obstruction should indicate the possibility of an associated intussusception.