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Acute Colonic Bleeding

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Book cover Diagnostic and Therapeutic Procedures in Gastroenterology

Part of the book series: Clinical Gastroenterology ((CG))

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Abstract

The term “lower gastrointestinal (LGI) bleeding” usually refers to a bleeding site starting below the ligament of Treitz (Jensen and Machicado 1988). “Hematochezia” is the clinical term applied to the passage of bright red blood or maroon colored stool, with or without clots, per rectum. We prefer to use “severe hematochezia” rather than lower gastrointestinal (LGI) or colonic bleeding, because the former is a clinically relevant term. Also, the terms “lower or colonic GI bleeding” assume that all patients with severe hematochezia have colonic bleeding sites, which is incorrect. About 15–20% of patients with severe hematochezia have upper gastrointestinal (UGI) sources of bleeding, another 4–6% have documented bleeding from the small bowel between the ligament of Treitz and the terminal ileum, and another 3–5% have no source identified (Jensen and Machicado 1988; Kovacs and Jensen 2005).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Gustavo A. Machicado M.D.

  2. UCLA Center for the Health Sciences, CURE Digestive Diseases Research Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Dennis M. Jensen M.D.

Authors
  1. Gustavo A. Machicado M.D.
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  2. Dennis M. Jensen M.D.
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Correspondence to Dennis M. Jensen M.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Connecticut School of Medi, Farmington Ave. 236, Farmington, 06030-1845, Connecticut, USA

    George Y. Wu

  2. , Department of Gastroenterology, Medical College of Georgia, Fifteenth St. BBR-2544, Augusta, 30912, Georgia, USA

    Subbaramiah Sridhar

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Machicado, G.A., Jensen, D.M. (2011). Acute Colonic Bleeding. In: Wu, G., Sridhar, S. (eds) Diagnostic and Therapeutic Procedures in Gastroenterology. Clinical Gastroenterology. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-044-7_19

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-044-7_19

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

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