[Stepwise diagnosis of intestinal hemorrhage].
Endoscopy is the method of choice in diagnosing gastrointestinal bleeding. In case of acute and severe bleeding a bleeding-source in the upper gastrointestinal tract has to be excluded with priority. The efficiency of endoscopy would be enhanced by endoscopic Doppler ultrasound. A diagnostic gap in the region of small bowel possibly will be closed by recently developed push-enteroscopy. Angiography and scintigraphy with labeled autologous erythrocytes are reserved to bleeding of still unknown source. Enteroclysis and double contrast barium enema are necessary only in very rare cases.
PubMed Abstracts
PubMed Abstracts