Diverticular bleeding is the most common cause of acute severe lower gastrointestinal bleeding in Western countries. Diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, including endoscopy, radiology, or surgery, have not been standardized. Dr Tonya Kaltenbach and colleagues from California, USA investigated colonoscopy as a first-line modality to diagnose and manage patients with severe lower gastrointestinal bleeding. The research team performed a retrospective study of data collected from 2 tertiary Veterans hospitals of 64 patients with acute severe diverticular bleeding, based on colonoscopy examination. The team assessed primary hemostasis using endoscopic clipping for diverticular bleeding and described the bleeding stigmata. | 38% of patients had diverticular stigmata of recent hemorrhage | Clinical Gastroenterology & Hepatology |
The research team measured early and late rebleeding, blood transfusion requirements, hospital stay and complications. Patients received 3 and 0.9 U of blood before and after colonoscopy, respectively. The team found that 38% of patients had diverticular stigmata of recent hemorrhage, and 88% were treated successfully using endoscopic clips, without complication or early rebleeding. The team noted that hospital stays averaged 6 days. Endoscopic clipping provided primary hemostasis in 75% of patients with active diverticular bleeding. During 35 months of follow-up, late recurrent diverticular bleeding occurred in 22% of the patients after a mean time period of 22 months. The researchers found that 21% with stigmata of recent hemorrhage who received clip treatment had rebleeding at 43 months. Rebleeding was self-limited in 57% of patients, was clipped in 29%, or was embolized in 14%. Dr Kaltenbach's team concludes, "Colonoscopy can be a safe first-line diagnostic and therapeutic approach for patients with severe lower gastrointestinal bleeding." "Endoscopic clipping provides hemostasis of active diverticular bleeding." "Recurrent bleeding occurs in about 21% of patients who were treated with clips, at approximately 4 years, and most bleeding is self-limited or can be retreated by endoscopic clipping." |