Diagnosis and Management of Small Bowel Bleeding
Official guideline from the American College of Gastroenterology.
summary by Vineet Rolston, MD Shannon Chang, MD
Diagnosis: Endoscopy
Second Look
Consider 2nd look upper endoscopy if recurrent hematemesis, melena, or previously incomplete exam.
Consider 2nd look colonoscopy in recurrent hematochezia or if lower source suspected.
Push Enteroscopy
Video Capsule Endoscopy (VCE)
VCE should be considered as first-line evaluation of SB once upper and lower GI sources are excluded.
Total Deep Enteroscopy, Intraoperative Enteroscopy
Should attempt deep enteroscopy if strong clinical suspicion of small bowel lesions.
Any method of deep enteroscopy can be used when endoscopic evaluation and therapy are required.
Diagnosis: Imaging
CT Enterography
Should be performed if VCE is negative. CTE has higher sensitivity for mural-based masses and superior capability to locate mass and guide subsequent deep enteroscopy.
CT is preferred over MR for evaluation. Can consider MR in younger patients or those with contraindications to CT.
Could consider CTE prior to VCE in established IBD, previous bowel surgery, and/or suspected small bowel stenosis.
CT Angiography
In hemodynamically stable patients with active bleeding, multiphasic CT can be performed to guide management.
Conventional Angiography
If hemodynamically unstable and acute overt massive GI bleed, conventional angiography should be performed emergently.
Conventional angiography should not be performed in patients without overt bleeding.
Tagged RBC
Meckel’s Scan
Treatment
Endoscopic Therapy
Medical Therapy
If no source of bleeding found, patient should be managed conservatively with oral iron or IV infusion as dictated by severity of iron-deficiency anemia.
Persistent Bleeding, Recurrence
If bleeding persists with worsening anemia, further diagnostic workup should include repeat upper and lower endoscopy, VCE, deep enteroscopy, CTE or MRE as appropriate.
Surgery
Surgical intervention in massive bleeding may be useful and is greatly helped by presurgical localization (tattooing lesion).
Anticoagulants/Antiplatelets
What do the icons mean?
How strong is the ACG's recommendation?
Strong recommendation
Intervention's desirable effects clearly outweigh undesirable effects.Moderate recommendation
Further research likely to impact confidence in estimate of effect.Conditional recommendation
Uncertainty in tradeoffs between desirable & undesirable effects of intervention.Weak recommendation
Uncertainty in tradeoffs between desirable & undesirable effects of intervention.High quality evidence
Further research unlikely to change guideline authors' confidence in estimate of effect.Moderate-high quality evidence
Between high and moderate levels of evidence.Moderate quality evidence
Further research likely to impact confidence in estimate of effect.Low quality evidence
Further research expected to have important impact in confidence in estimate of effect.Very low quality evidence
Effect is very uncertain.