[Demonstration and localization of hemorrhage in the intestinal tract. Comparison between 99mTc-colloid scintigraphy and selective angiography of the visceral vessels]

[Value of 99mTc-Sulphur colloid scintigraphy in the diagnosis of intermittent digestive bleeding secondary to a case of jejunal angiodysplasia]

We present the case of a 74 year old female patient, with clinical criteria of liver cirrhosis caused by hepatic C virus who required several admissions in our hospital over a five month period. She was given several blood transfusions because of repeated clinical manifestation of gastrointestinal bleeding without a clear origin. Her last admission was due to intermittent melenas, secondary anemia and hemodynamic angina. The patient's study included clinical analysis, fibrogastroscopy, colonoscopy, opaque enema, spiral CT and supraortic vessels arteriography. Because all the results to diagnose and locate the patient's disease were negative, she was referred to our service for a scintigraphy study. As it was an emergency case because of the patient's serious hemodynamic condition, a 99mTc-sulphur colloid scintigraphy was chosen, the results of which showed and located active gastrointestinal bleeding requiring urgent surgical intervention. The laparotomy with intrasurgical enterotomy and fibrogastroscopy undertaken ratified gastrointestinal bleeding, and the result of the biopsy of the jejunum removed in the intervention confirmed bowel angiodysplasia. Given the low incidence of gastrointestinal bleeding secondary to bowel angiodysplasia and absence of bibliographic references regarding the diagnosis of this disease in the above mentioned site by means of 99mTc-sulphur colloid scintigraphy in particular, we consider it interesting to highlight this case, in which the capability of this nuclear medicine technique for quick and non-invasive detection and location of gastrointestinal bleeding has been highly proven.