Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Book

Angiodysplasia

In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.
.
Affiliations
Free Books & Documents
Book

Angiodysplasia

Maryam Aghighi et al.
Free Books & Documents

Excerpt

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is the most frequent site in the body for several types of abnormal blood vessels, which represent irregularities in the normal form of the affected arteries, veins, or capillaries. Vascular abnormalities can be benign or malignant such as hemangiomas or angiosarcomas, respectively. Also, they can be congenital, such as hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia or mostly acquired, such as angiodysplasia. Angiodysplasia is an abnormal, tortuous, dilated small blood vessel in the mucosal and submucosal layers of the GI tract. The abnormal vessels consist of endothelium with scant or no smooth muscle. Angiodysplasia is the most frequent etiology of small bowel bleeding or formerly called obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) in patients more than 60 years of age. Angiodysplasia is not related to any hereditary, skin, or systemic disease and can affect any part of the GI tract.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Maryam Aghighi declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Mehran Taherian declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Ashish Sharma declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

References

    1. Gordon FH, Watkinson A, Hodgson H. Vascular malformations of the gastrointestinal tract. Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol. 2001 Feb;15(1):41-58. - PubMed
    1. Poralla T. Angiodysplasia in the renal patient: how to diagnose and how to treat? Nephrol Dial Transplant. 1998 Sep;13(9):2188-91. - PubMed
    1. Chong J, Tagle M, Barkin JS, Reiner DK. Small bowel push-type fiberoptic enteroscopy for patients with occult gastrointestinal bleeding or suspected small bowel pathology. Am J Gastroenterol. 1994 Dec;89(12):2143-6. - PubMed
    1. Sami SS, Al-Araji SA, Ragunath K. Review article: gastrointestinal angiodysplasia - pathogenesis, diagnosis and management. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2014 Jan;39(1):15-34. - PubMed
    1. Schwartz J, Rozenfeld V, Habot B. Cessation of recurrent bleeding from gastrointestinal angiodysplasia, after beta blocker treatment in a patient with hypertrophic subaortic stenosis--a case history. Angiology. 1992 Mar;43(3 Pt 1):244-8. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources