Angiodysplasias: a therapeutic challenge.

Abstract

The hospitalization rate for gastrointestinal angiodysplasias has increased by more than 30% over the last decade. These patients increasingly present with comorbidities and, in many cases, are on anticoagulant and/or antiplatelet therapy, necessitating a comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic approach.

In the absence of clinical practice guidelines for the management of angiodysplasias, this manuscript will address the various available endoscopic treatments. It will review recent scientific evidence on available pharmacological treatments, including somatostatin analogs and thalidomide, among others. Finally, it will propose a therapeutic algorithm for the management of this condition.

Keywords: angiodysplasias, somatostatin analogues, thalidomide.