Hemorajik radyasyon proktiti hastalarında rektal kanama kontrolünde endoskopik argon plazma koagülasyon tedavisinin etkinliğinin ve güvenirliliğinin retrospektif analizi

Abstract

Background and Aims: Hemorrhagic radiation proctitis, which occurs in a relatively late period after pelvic radiation, usually fails to respond to medical and surgical treatments. In this study, we evaluated the efficiency of argon plasma coagulation in controlling rectal hemorrhage resulting from hemorrhagic radiation proctitis and its complications. Materials and Methods: Between September 2006 and August 2008, we retrospectively evaluated 10 hemorrhagic radiation proctitis patients from the medical records of the Gastroenterology Department of Ankara University. Results: The argon plasma coagulation treatment was applied to 8 male and 2 female patients with rectal bleeding resulting from hemorrhagic radiation proctitis; their average age was 69. The control of rectal bleeding was achieved in one session in four patients; however, more sessions were needed for the other 6 patients. An average of 2.2 sessions were applied to the patients. Rectal bleeding was brought under control in all patients. No complications related to argon plasma coagulation treatment were observed. Conclusions: Hemorrhagic radiation proctitis is a serious cause of morbidity because of the constant need for blood transfusion. Medical and surgical treatments are unsuccessful in controlling rectal hemorrhage resulting from hemorrhagic radiation proctitis. Argon plasma coagulation treatment is a highly effective and safe method in achieving a high level of bleeding control in cases of rectal hemorrhage resulting from hemorrhagic radiation proctitis.