Transcatheter embolization of small bowel bleeding in a patient with polyarteritis nodosa

Abstract

Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is a rare vasculitis that focally affects the small and medium-sized arterial walls. Major gastrointestinal (GI) complications are hemorrhage and obstruction. We report a case of PAN in a 28-year-old male patient with abdominal pain and hematochezia. He underwent surgical resection for small-bowel ischemia and was diagnosed with PAN. Subsequently two sessions of angiography and embolization were performed for different sites of small bowel bleeding. Gelatin sponge particles and microcoils were used as embolic materials. Our patient's outcome suggests that transcatheter embolization should be considered as an efficient method for the treatment for GI bleeding associated with PAN.