Hemorragia digestiva baja y hemorragia digestiva de origen oscuro

Abstract

IntroductionLower gastrointestinal bleeding is a frequent entity, specially in elderly patients with multiple comorbidities. It is usually mild and self-limited, but massive bleeding with hemorrhagic shock can occur. AetiopathogenesisIts most frequent source is the colon, and the most common causes are diverticula and angiodysplasia. DiagnosisThere are severe diagnostic and therapeutic options for its management: colonoscopy, which has both diagnostic and therapeutic capacity; multidetector row CT scan, a fast technique that does not require bowel preparation, and arteriography, which is usually used with a therapeutic intention. TreatmentSurgery is currently relegated to a salvage treatment when bleeding has not been controlled by other means. Obscure gastrointestinal bleedingIs defined as gastrointestinal bleeding whose origin is not objectivated after a conventional study. Its most frequent cause is small bowel angiodysplasia, and it may appear as overt or occult bleeding. The most commonly used diagnostic test are video capsule endoscopy, enteroscopy, and radiographic studies.