Angiodysplasia of the colon
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Synopsis

Many patients with colonic angiodysplasia are asymptomatic as ectatic vessels are discovered on screening colonoscopy. The majority of colonic angiodysplasias are in the right colon, specifically involving the cecum, although they can be found anywhere from cecum to rectum.
Patients with symptomatic angiodysplasia present most often with chronic, occult blood loss (85% of cases), but patients can present with massive GI hemorrhage. The most common presenting symptoms are hematochezia, melena, Hemoccult positive stool, and iron-deficiency anemia.
Bleeding colonic angiodysplasias will often resolve spontaneously without endoscopic intervention, although they are amenable to endoscopic cauterization or clipping.
Related topic: GI bleeding
Codes
ICD10CM:K55.20 – Angiodysplasia of colon without hemorrhage
SNOMEDCT:
197244008 – Angiodysplasia of the Colon
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Diagnostic Pearls
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Differential Diagnosis & Pitfalls
- Iron-deficiency anemia – Caused by diet, gastrointestinal malignancy, celiac disease, or inflammatory bowel disease.
- Dieulafoy lesion
- Internal or external hemorrhoids
- Anal fissure
- Meckel diverticulum
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References
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Last Reviewed:12/26/2017
Last Updated:01/09/2018
Last Updated:01/09/2018