[Jejunal diverticular disease: a rare cause of gastrointestinal bleeding].

Abstract

Background: Digestive bleeding is an important cause of hospital admission; however, the mortality rate in these patients has not been reduced. Digestive bleeding has a multiple etiology; specifically, bleeding from the small intestine accounts for 5 to 10% of gastrointestinal hemorrhages, of which between 0.06% and 5% of cases are caused by diverticula of the small intestine. Most cases are asymptomatic; however, the symptomatic form is highly variable and can present with multiple complications, such as massive bleeding. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore the approach to jejunal diverticular disease (JDD) with gastrointestinal bleeding.

Clinical case: A 48-year-old male patient presented with massive digestive bleeding of unknown origin, initially treated with angiography and embolization, with a satisfactory outcome. However, six days after discharge, the patient experienced new massive bleeding that required an urgent exploratory laparotomy, during which jejunal diverticular disease (JDD) of the small intestine was identified.

Conclusions: Diverticula of the small intestine are usually asymptomatic, and complications are rare; however, they can affect the patient's survival. Therefore, an appropriate approach, accurate and timely diagnosis, and a multidisciplinary management strategy are required to offer the best therapeutic options for the patient.