Small bowel angiodysplasia in a patient on haemodialysis: difficulties in diagnosis and management.

Angiodysplasia is a common cause of gastrointestinal blood loss in patients with end stage renal disease. Diagnosis is especially difficult when the angiodysplastic lesions are concentrated in the small bowel. This report describes a case of a patient on haemodialysis who had transfusion-dependent anaemia from small bowel angiodysplasia. Endoscopic treatment was unsuccessful, tranexamic acid caused complications with thrombosis, and thalidomide showed no benefit. This case report highlights the problems in the diagnosis and management of this condition in patients on haemodialysis. Early diagnosis and optimisation of the patient for treatment is key to the successful outcomes of such patients.