The cause of intestinal bleeding cannot be missed: the case of primary aortoenteric fistula


Submitted: 25 February 2016
Accepted: 26 May 2016
Published: 15 June 2016
Abstract Views: 1230
PDF: 633
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Authors

  • Bahjat Barakat Department of Emergency, Sant’Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
  • Lucia Calculli Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Prevention, Sant’Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
  • Raffaele Pezzilli Department of Digestive System, Sant’Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Primary aortoenteric fistula (PAEF) is a rare condition of intestinal hemorrhage. We herein report a case of this condition initially suspected by ultrasonographic evaluation and subsequently confirmed by computed tomography. PAEF should be considered a possible cause in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding of uncertain etiology and especially in patients with known aortic aneurysms. The rapid recognition of this condition may save the life of these patients because in untreated subjects the mortality is 100%, frequently due to hypovolemic shock.

Bahjat Barakat, Department of Emergency, Sant’Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Bologna
Department of Emergency
Lucia Calculli, Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Prevention, Sant’Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Bologna
Department of Radiology
Raffaele Pezzilli, Department of Digestive System, Sant’Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Bologna
Department of Digestive Sysstem
Barakat, B., Calculli, L., & Pezzilli, R. (2016). The cause of intestinal bleeding cannot be missed: the case of primary aortoenteric fistula. Emergency Care Journal, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.4081/ecj.2016.5845

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