Duodenal Varix Rupture – A Rare Cause of Fatal Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Sadat Iqbal¹, Michelle Likhtshteyn¹, Daniel O’Brien¹, Samy I. McFarlane^1, and Manuel Martinez^{1, 2}

¹Department of Internal Medicine, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA

²Department of Gastroenterology, Veterans Affairs Hospital, Brooklyn, NY, USA

Cite this paper

Sadat Iqbal, Michelle Likhtshteyn, Daniel O’Brien, Samy I. McFarlane and Manuel Martinez. Duodenal Varix Rupture – A Rare Cause of Fatal Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage: A Case Report and Review of Literature. American Journal of Medical Case Reports. 2019; 7(4):62-66. doi: 10.12691/AJMCR-7-4-3

Abstract

Duodenal varices are a rare complication of portal hypertension; with cirrhosis being the most common cause. Reports regarding the disease prognosis and natural history are limited. In addition to the diagnostic difficulty, ectopic duodenal varices pose a significant therapeutic challenge owing to the lack of specific management guidelines. Given the high risk of rupture, they can have devastating clinical outcomes. Rupture typically presents as a gastrointestinal hemorrhage and requires emergent interventions. We present a case of duodenal varix seen on upper endoscopy in a patient with portal hypertension and cirrhosis, together with review of the literature outlining the current understanding of this disease entity. We also highlight the pathogenetic mechanisms as well as the current diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for this potentially fatal disease.

Keywords

duodenal varices, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, cirrhosis, portal hypertension

Copyright

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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