Endoscopy 2014; 46(S 01): E262
DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1365430
Cases and Techniques Library (CTL)
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Impacted bone fragment in a small-bowel diverticulum: an extremely rare cause of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding

Hazem T. Hammad
1   Division of Gastroenterology, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, Missouri, USA
,
Leen Al-Sayyed
1   Division of Gastroenterology, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, Missouri, USA
,
Shoba Theivanayagam
1   Division of Gastroenterology, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, Missouri, USA
,
Van Nguyen
2   Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, Missouri, USA
,
Arthur Rawlings
3   Department of Surgery, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, Missouri, USA
,
Matthew L. Bechtold
1   Division of Gastroenterology, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, Missouri, USA
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
22 May 2014 (online)

Obscure gastrointestinal tract bleeding (OGIB) is a common and challenging issue [1]. Here we present an extremely rare case of overt OGIB secondary to impacted bone fragment within a small-bowel diverticulum.

An 88-year-old man presented with hypotension and a 2-day history of maroon-colored stools. Initial hemoglobin concentration was 7.7 g/dL. Urgent upper endoscopy showed a large duodenal diverticulum with no signs of bleeding. Colonoscopy was also unremarkable. Capsule small-bowel study was attempted, but the capsule was retained in the duodenal diverticulum, requiring endoscopic retrieval. Mesenteric angiography was negative. Delayed images on Tc-99m-labeled red blood cell scan showed activity in the small bowel. Antegrade and retrograde single-balloon enteroscopy to the distal jejunum and proximal ileum showed large-mouthed diverticula but no signs of active bleeding. Intraoperative enteroscopy showed a segment in the mid-small bowel with multiple large-mouthed diverticula, including one diverticulum with a blood clot suggestive of recent bleeding ([Fig. 1], [Fig. 2]). Segmental resection of this small-bowel segment containing the bleeding diverticulum and surrounding large-mouthed diverticula (approx. 60 cm) was performed. Postoperatively, the patient’s hemoglobin levels remained stable with no further episodes of gastrointestinal bleeding. Examination of the resected small-bowel specimen showed large diverticula with a single diverticulum having an impacted 3-cm bone fragment with hemorrhagic changes in the surrounding mucosa ([Fig. 3]).

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Fig. 1 Large-mouthed small-bowel diverticulum.
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Fig. 2 Evidence of bleeding in a small-bowel diverticulum.
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Fig. 3 a, b Small-bowel diverticulum with impacted bone fragment.

Most of the cases of OGIB are due to small-bowel pathology. Identifying and treating the etiology of OGIB can be challenging [2]. There are only few case reports of foreign body ingestion causing OGIB. Our case is the first report of a bone fragment causing OGIB [3] [4].

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  • References

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