Wen PH, Hu B. Selective embolization can effectively alleviate bleeding symptoms in patients with anorectal hemangioma. World J Gastrointest Surg 2025; 17(1): 100108 [DOI: 10.4240/wjgs.v17.i1.100108]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Bing Hu, MD, Professor, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology/Medical Engineering Integration Laboratory of Digestive Endoscopy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 Guoxue Alley, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China. hubing@wchscu.edu.cn
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Letter to the Editor
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (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: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Gastrointest Surg. Jan 27, 2025; 17(1): 100108 Published online Jan 27, 2025. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v17.i1.100108
Selective embolization can effectively alleviate bleeding symptoms in patients with anorectal hemangioma
Ping-Hua Wen, Bing Hu
Ping-Hua Wen, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China
Bing Hu, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology/Medical Engineering Integration Laboratory of Digestive Endoscopy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China
Author contributions: Wen PH wrote the original draft; Hu B contributed to writing, reviewing and editing; Wen PH and Hu B participated in drafting the manuscript; and all authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
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: Bing Hu, MD, Professor, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology/Medical Engineering Integration Laboratory of Digestive Endoscopy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 Guoxue Alley, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China. hubing@wchscu.edu.cn
Received: August 7, 2024 Revised: October 23, 2024 Accepted: November 8, 2024 Published online: January 27, 2025 Processing time: 142 Days and 5.6 Hours
Abstract
In this manuscript, I comment on the article by Pospisilova et al published in the recent issue of the journal, in which selective embolization was used to treat anorectal hemangioma, a rare disease causing lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Anorectal hemangioma can easily be mistaken; for example, the patient in this case was previously misdiagnosed with ulcerative colitis. Choosing the appropriate tests and understanding the typical manifestations of anorectal hemangioma under colonoscopy, computerized tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and other tests are beneficial for diagnosis. The patient presented with intermittent rectal bleeding despite treatment with azathioprine and mesalazine and required blood transfusions since the degree of rectal bleeding worsened. Selective embolization successfully alleviated the patient’s bleeding symptoms and avoided the need for repeated blood transfusions. Tranexamic acid may be useful, considering that the patient still has bleeding symptoms and requires parenteral iron supplementation.
Core Tip: The incidence rate of anorectal hemangioma is low, and it is easy to misdiagnose. Colonoscopy, computerized tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and other tests are helpful for diagnosis. The selection and results of examinations are crucial for doctors to make correct medical decisions. After comprehensive examinations and a clear diagnosis, selective embolization can alleviate patients’ symptoms and improve their quality of life.
