Recurrent severe anemia associated with a jejunal arteriovenous malformation in pregnancy: A case report

Background

Small intestinal arteriovenous (AV) malformations may cause gastrointestinal hemorrhage, occasionally leading to anemia; however, they are rarely seen in pregnancy. This report presents a case of a pregnant woman who had recurrent severe anemia that was attributed to a small hemorrhagic intestinal arteriovenous malformation.

Case Presentation

A 24-year-old pregnant woman (gravida 2, para 1) presented with a low hemoglobin concentration (3.6 g/dL) in her first pregnancy and underwent an emergency cesarean section at 36 weeks due to non-reassuring fetal status. In her second pregnancy, she was hospitalized at 30 weeks with epigastric pain and nausea. A low hemoglobin level (6.6 g/dL) and scant fecal occult blood were revealed upon examination. She was referred to the hospital for further evaluation and pregnancy management. Recurrent blood transfusions were required; however, neither hematemesis nor obvious fecal hemorrhage was observed. At 31 weeks, a cesarean section was performed owing to persistent anemia. Postoperative small intestinal capsule endoscopy and flexible fiberoptic proximal small intestinal endoscopy revealed a suspected bleeding small intestinal arteriovenous malformation. The patient underwent partial resection of the small intestine on hospitalization day 16. Histopathological examination confirmed a small intestinal arteriovenous malformation. The patient had a good postoperative course and was discharged on hospitalization day 24.

Conclusions

Small intestinal arteriovenous malformations can bleed during pregnancy. They can go undetected if they spontaneously shrink postpartum. In severe anemia during pregnancy, hemorrhage from small intestinal arteriovenous malformations should be included in the differential diagnosis and promptly investigated even in the absence of gastrointestinal symptoms.