Abstract
We encountered three patients with end stage renal failure who manifested angiodysplasia. All of the patients were elderly men (68y non-diabetic on HD, 61y diabetic on CAPD, and 72y diabetic not-on HD), admitted to our hospital for progressive anemia associated with continuous or intermittent gastrointestinal bleeding. Both conventional barium enema and endoscopic studies failed to identify the loci of bleeding. Abdominal angiography followed by technetium labeled erythrocyte bleeding tests revealed extravasation from iejunal branches in two cases, and showed a typical vascular tuft and draining vein characteristic of right colonic angiodysplasia in the other case. Histopathological examination showed ectatic vascular channels in the mucosa and submucosa of the bowel wall. Thus, with these findings, we made the diagnosis of angiodysplasia.
Despite the low incidence of angiodysplasia, the present cases suggest the importance of an awareness of this disease in assessing gastrointestinal bleeding in ESRF patients.
