[Blue rubber-bleb nevus syndrome and therapeutic double balloon enteroscopy]

Abstract

This is the first report about the endoscopic removal of hemangiomas in the gastrointestinal tract using the double-balloon enteroscopic technique. We report on a 16-year-old female patient with a 10-year history of chronic anemia due to recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding. Besides permanent iron substitution, up to 3 blood transfusions per week are necessary. At birth a blue rubber-bleb nevus syndrome was diagnosed, with blue angiomatous lesions preferring her skin and digestive tract. In the 8 years before admittance numerous conventional endoscopic procedures and one intraoperative endoscopy with laser coagulation of many cavernous hemangiomas were performed. In our department the successful treatment of 150 hemangiomas with argon plasma coagulation or polypectomy in combination with double-balloon enteroscopy and conventional endoscopy was achieved without complications.