Published online Jun 14, 2012. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v18.i22.2872
Revised: January 9, 2012
Accepted: February 8, 2012
Published online: June 14, 2012
Recently, the development of endoscopic procedures has increased the availability of minimally invasive treatments; however, there have been few case reports of duodenal hemangioma treated by endoscopic mucosal resection. The present report describes a case of duodenal hemangioma that showed various endoscopic changes over time and was treated by endoscopic mucosal resection. An 80-year-old woman presented with tarry stools and a loss of appetite. An examination of her blood revealed severe anemia, and her hemoglobin level was 4.2 g/dL. An emergency upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was performed. A red, protrusive, semipedunculated tumor (approximately 20 mm in diameter) with spontaneous bleeding on its surface was found in the superior duodenal angle. Given the semipedunculated appearance of the tumor, it was suspected to be an epithelial tumor with a differential diagnosis of hyperplastic polyp. The biopsy results suggested a telangiectatic hemangioma. Because this lesion was considered to be responsible for her anemia, endoscopic mucosal resection was performed for diagnostic and treatment purposes after informed consent was obtained. A histopathological examination of the resected specimen revealed dilated and proliferated capillary lumens of various sizes, which confirmed the final diagnosis of duodenal hemangioma. Neither anemia nor tumor recurrence has been observed since the endoscopic mucosal resection (approximately 1 year). Duodenal hemangiomas can be treated endoscopically provided that sufficient consideration is given to all of the possible treatment strategies. Interestingly, duodenal hemangiomas show morphological changes that are influenced by various factors, such as mechanical stimuli.