Opinion Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Endosc. Dec 16, 2022; 14(12): 739-747
Published online Dec 16, 2022. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v14.i12.739
Role of multidetector computed tomography angiography in non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding: A comprehensive review
Alberto Martino, Marco Di Serafino, Lucio Amitrano, Luigi Orsini, Lorena Pietrini, Rossana Martino, Antonella Menchise, Luca Pignata, Luigia Romano, Giovanni Lombardi
Alberto Martino, Lucio Amitrano, Luigi Orsini, Lorena Pietrini, Rossana Martino, Antonella Menchise, Giovanni Lombardi, Department of Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy, AORN “Antonio Cardarelli”, Napoli 80131, Italy
Marco Di Serafino, Luigia Romano, Department of General and Emergency Radiology, AORN “Antonio Cardarelli”, Napoli 80131, Italy
Luca Pignata, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Gastroenterology and Hepatology Unit, University of Naples “Federico II”, Napoli 80131, Italy
Author contributions: Martino A, Di Serafino M, and Amitrano L designed research and wrote, edited, and finalized the text; Martino A, Di Serafino M, Orsini L, Pietrini L, Martino R, Menchise A, and Pignata L performed literature search and analyzed the data; Romano L and Lombardi G reviewed the paper for important intellectual content.
Conflict-of-interest statement: No conflict of interest to declare.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Alberto Martino, MD, Staff Physician, Department of Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy, AORN “Antonio Cardarelli”, 9 Via Antonio Cardarelli, Napoli 80131, Italy. albertomartinomd@gmail.com
Received: September 27, 2022
Peer-review started: September 27, 2022
First decision: October 20, 2022
Revised: October 30, 2022
Accepted: November 9, 2022
Article in press: November 9, 2022
Published online: December 16, 2022
Abstract

Non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (NVUGIB) is a common gastroenterological emergency associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is currently recommended as the gold standard modality for both diagnosis and treatment, with computed tomography traditionally playing a limited role in the diagnosis of acute NVUGIB. Following the introduction of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT), this modality is emerging as a promising tool in the diagnosis of NVUGIB. However, to date, evidence concerning the role of MDCT in the NVUGIB diagnosis is still lacking. The aim of our study was to review the current evidence concerning the role of MDCT in the diagnosis of acute NVUGIB.

Keywords: Gastrointestinal bleeding, Upper gastrointestinal bleeding, Non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding, Computed tomography, Multidetector computed tomography, Multidetector computed tomography angiography

Core Tip: Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is currently recommended as the first-line technique for diagnosis and treatment of non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (NVUGIB). Conversely, computed tomography has a limited role in the diagnosis of acute NVUGIB. However, following the introduction of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT), this modality is emerging as a promising tool in the diagnosis of NVUGIB. Nevertheless, to date, evidence concerning the role of MDCT in the NVUGIB diagnosis is still lacking. Our study aimed to review the current evidence concerning the role of MDCT in the diagnosis of acute NVUGIB.