The patient was a 71-year-old woman. She became aware of her own exertional dyspnea in June 1999, and was referred to our hospital for admission. The patient underwent colonoscopic examination because iron deficiency anemia and positive occult blood reaction in the feces were observed. In the colonoscopic examination, angiodysplasia with an uneven surface was seen in the cecum, which was thought to be the source of bleeding. In addition, abdominal angiography of the patient revealed early venous filling in the region of the cecum., leading to a diagnosis of colonic arteriovenous malformation. Thereafter she was followed up as an ambulatory patient. However, form around November 1999, anemia became pronounced and the patient was again hospitalized.
Colonoscopic examination conducted during hospitalization showed bleeding from the cecum with arteriovenous malformation. We unsuccessfully performed a hemostatic procedure with a heat probe, resulting in the adoption of laparoscopic ileocecal resection. The postoperative course of the patient has been satisfactory, and no progression of the anemia has been observed. We report our experience of a case with lower gastrointestinal bleeding due to colonic arterioveous malformation.
