A 78-year-old Caucasian man with a history of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma and chronic pancreatitis presented with epigastric pain, rectal bleeding, and melena. Both 2 months and 2 weeks before he had also been admitted with rectal bleeding and need for transfusion. His vital signs showed tachycardia of 115 beats/minute with normal blood pressure. A physical examination was unremarkable with no abdominal tenderness. Laboratory studies showed severe anemia with a hemoglobin of 4.0 g/dL. An urgent esophagogastroduodenoscopy was performed but did not reveal the source of the bleeding. CT angiography showed a (pseudo-)aneurysm of the gastroduodenal artery of 24 mm with bleeding in the small intestine (Fig. ). Digital angiography was performed and showed a high-grade ostial stenosis of the coeliac trunk with a rather broad superior mesenteric artery. Dissection of the gastroduodenal artery with a pseudoaneurysm at this level is seen after selective catheterization with a 2.7 Progreat® microcatheter (Terumo Medical Corp). This pseudoaneurysm was crossed and distally (to “close the back door”) a plurality of microcoils was placed. Then, the tip was placed just proximal to the neck of the pseudoaneurysm, and multiple coils were placed here (4 mm wide and 3 mm long). This “sandwich” technique prevents both downstream and upstream filling. Post-procedure angiography from the proper hepatic artery showed a good closure of the pseudoaneurysm (Fig. ).\nOur patient had no further gastrointestinal hemorrhage. He had an uneventful postoperative course and was discharged on the tenth postoperative day. Control CT angiography after 6 months showed complete thrombosis and resorption of the pseudoaneurysm.
A 38-year-old male complaining of recurrent episodes of melena for the past 2 weeks was admitted to the emergency department of our hospital. Two days before the hospital visit, the patient had complained of the presence of blood in vomiting and had a history of recurrent complaints of upper abdominal pain often radiating to the back. His previous medical history revealed that he had suffered from chronic pancreatitis for 3 years before present admission, possibly due to alcohol abuse. He was resuscitated with the blood and intravenous fluid for melena during present admission. Ultrasonography (USG) whole abdomen revealed a moderately enlarged liver (18.5 cm × 12.3 cm) with heterogeneous echotexture, with a prominent portal vein, of size 1.3 cm; hepatic and splenic hilar collaterals were suggestive of portal hypertension. The presence of mild ascites was documented. Transabdominal USG showed echogenic pancreas with multiple, small, hyperechoic, nonshadowing foci in the pancreas suggestive of fibrotic changes. There was evidence of irregular dilated main pancreatic duct with pancreatic and intraductal calculi. These features were consistent with chronic pancreatitis. The findings were suggestive of alcoholic liver disease with portal hypertension and chronic obstructive pancreatitis. After resuscitation, upper GI endoscopy was performed on two different occasions that showed bleeding from the second part of the duodenum with an abnormal tortuous vessel at the ampulla of Vater. This was diagnosed as hemosuccus pancreaticus, which might have caused the bleeding []. Serendipitously during the endoscopy, a worm was also found penetrating the mucosa of the duodenum. The worm was retrieved and referred to the laboratory for identification. It was a single intact live worm (size 12.3 mm × 0.3 mm) reddish pink, with head bent in the same direction of the body curvature with a spine at the posterior end []. The buccal capsule had six teeth (four hook-like on ventral surface and two knob-like on dorsal surface) []. The live worm was seen to lay eggs while examining under the microscope []. Three consecutive stool samples of the patients were examined. The stool sample was dark-colored, semi-solid in consistency without any parasitic elements. Wet mount examination of stool revealed nonbile-stained ova (60– 65 μm in length, 40– 45 μm in width) with transparent hyaline shell membrane containing blastomeres. The above morphological features of the worm and micrometry of the ova were consistent with Ancylostoma duodenale. For further confirmation and to exclude the probability of mixed infection with Strongyloides stercoralis, the modified Harada– Mori nematode larval culture method[] was performed, and larva of hookworm was retrieved after 1 week of incubation at ambient room temperature. However, duodenal biopsy could not be done to rule out this possibility.\nThe patient was a chronic alcoholic and had deranged liver functions. Other laboratory test revealed low hemoglobin (5.6 g/dL), elevated total leukocyte count (12,300/μl) with increased eosinophils (neutrophils - 54%, lymphocytes – 24%, eosinophils – 16%, and monocytes – 6%), hyperbilirubinemia (total serum bilirubin 12.5 mg% and conjugated bilirubin 11.7 mg%), alanine transaminase/aspartate transaminase (87.7/90 IU), serum alkaline phosphatase (827 IU/L), hypoalbuminemia (2.3 g%), and raised serum globulin (3.9 g%) with reversal of albumin:globulin ratio. Blood and urine cultures were bacteriologically sterile. Peripheral blood smear examination showed microcytic, hypochromic anemia, with the absence of any hemoparasites. The patient was planned for contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) abdomen, but the course of illness was rapidly fatal, and he succumbed to the illness within 48 h of admission, hindering further investigative course. The cause of death was unexplained shock secondary to upper GI bleeding precipitated by chronic, alcoholic liver disease with chronic pancreatitis and portal hypertension.