Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://scholarhub.balamand.edu.lb/handle/uob/7637
Title: Appendiceal Bleeding, A Rare Yet Important Cause of Lower Gastrointestinal Bleed
Authors: Tabcheh, Ayman
Salem, Johny
Zodeh, Karim
Ghazale, Ammar
Affiliations: Faculty of Medicine 
Faculty of Medicine 
Faculty of Medicine 
Faculty of Medicine 
Keywords: Appendix
Appendiceal bleeding
Bleeding
Gastrointestinal bleed
Issue Date: 2024
Part of: European Journal of Case Reports in Internal Medicine
Volume: 11
Issue: 10
Abstract: 
Background: Lower gastrointestinal bleeding accounts for 20 to 25% of all gastrointestinal bleedings. Appendiceal bleeding is a rare, yet important cause of lower gastrointestinal bleed; in many cases, it can be misdiagnosed as obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. Here, we present a case of appendiceal bleeding in an elderly female.Case description: A 79-year-old female presented with acute onset of gastrointestinal bleeding of same-day duration. Investigations showed that she had an appendiceal bleed originating from an ulcer secondary to a small appendicolith, which has passed through the appendiceal orifice, combined with her aspirin use. Within 12 hours, a laparoscopic appendectomy was performed. No evidence of malignancy or vascular malformation was detected, and the post-operative course was smooth, with resultant discharge at day 3 after her surgery. Discussion: For lower gastrointestinal bleeding, it is crucial for the endoscopist to reach the terminal ileum during the colonoscopy, and thoroughly inspect the orifice of the appendix to assess any source of bleed including but not limited to Dieulafoy’s lesion, angiodysplasia or any vascular malformation. An effective treatment option for appendiceal bleeding is surgical management with appendectomy. Alternative approaches such as vessel embolization and endoscopic treatment have been reported to successfully control bleeding; nevertheless, the risk of acute appendicitis and recurrent bleeding following these procedures can be challenging to manage, potentially leading the patient to still need a surgical treatment with an appendectomy.
URI: https://scholarhub.balamand.edu.lb/handle/uob/7637
DOI: 10.12890/2024_004683
Open URL: Link to full text
Type: Journal Article
Appears in Collections:Faculty of Medicine

Show full item record

Record view(s)

12
checked on Dec 14, 2024

Google ScholarTM

Check

Altmetric

Altmetric


Items in DSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.