Influence of selective mesenteric arteriography on the outcome of emergency surgery for massive, lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage. A 15-year experience.

From 1970 to 1984, 64 patients with massive hemorrhage of lower gastrointestinal origin were treated at the intensive care unit, Surgical Department, Malmö General Hospital. The records of these patients have been studied retrospectively. Emergency exploration for hemostasis was performed on 31 patients, while in 33 patients hemorrhage stopped with conservative therapy. Acute selective mesenteric arteriography revealed the bleeding site in 16 of 28 patients (57 percent). The commonest bleeding sources detected by selective mesenteric arteriography were diverticular disease and angiodysplastic lesions of the colon. Fourteen patients with positive arteriography finding were operated on as emergencies, resulting in two postoperative deaths. Ten patients were operated on as emergencies without preoperative arteriography. Despite intraoperative efforts, no bleeding source was found in three of those patients. In the remaining seven patients, the diagnoses were similar to the 14 patients with positive arteriography. Five of 10 patients in this group died postoperatively. Emergency laparotomy eventually was necessary in seven of 12 patients with negative arteriography. This group had a variety of diagnoses and no postoperative mortality. Positive preoperative mesenteric arteriography findings allowed the surgeon to perform a limited resection of the bleeding bowel segment with a reduced postoperative mortality.