Dieulafoy's lesion. Diagnosis and management.

A review of 177 cases of upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage due to Dieulafoy's lesion is reported. Dieulafoy's lesion is frequently responsible for severe and recurrent upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage. The lesion was predominantly found in the proximal stomach. Repeat endoscopies were needed in 33% of the patients in order to make the correct diagnosis. When preoperative diagnosis and localization were made, surgery was an effective therapeutic modality. Therapeutic endoscopy was successful in achieving permanent hemostasis in 85% of the reported cases. Re-treatment was needed in an additional 10% and surgical therapy in 5% of the cases. Therapeutic endoscopy should be considered initially in all patients. Surgical intervention and angiography with embolization may be effective options if endoscopic therapy is unsuccessful.