Gastrointestinal bleeding from angiodysplasia in von Willebrand disease: Improved diagnosis and outcome prediction using videocapsule on top of conventional endoscopy

Abstract

Background: Despite a high prevalence of angiodysplasia, no specific guidelines are available for the modalities of endoscopic exploration of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding in von Willebrand disease (VWD). Whether VWD patients could benefit from video capsule endoscopy (VCE) looking for angiodysplasia eligible to endoscopic treatment or at high risk of bleeding is unknown.

Objectives: To assess the diagnostic efficacy for angiodysplasia and the prognostic value of VCE on top of conventional endoscopy in VWD patients with GI bleeding.

Patients/methods: A survey was sent to the 30 centers of the French-network on inherited bleeding disorders to identify VWD patients referred for endoscopic exploration of GI bleeding from January 2015 to December 2017. Data obtained included patient characteristics, VWD phenotype/genotype, GI bleeding pattern, results of endoscopic investigations, and medical management applied including endoscopic therapy. We assessed by Kaplan-Meier analysis the recurrence-free survival after the first GI bleeding event according to endoscopic categorization and, in patients with angiodysplasia, to the presence of small-bowel localizations on VCE exploration.

Results: GI bleeding source localization was significantly improved when including VCE exploration (P < .01), even in patients without history of angiodysplasia (P < .05). Patients with angiodysplasia had more GI bleeding recurrences (P < .01). A lower recurrence-free survival was observed in patients with angiodysplasia (log-rank test, P = .02), and especially when lesions were located in the small bowel (log-rank test, P < .01), even after endoscopic treatment with argon plasma coagulation (log-rank test, P < .01).

Conclusion: VCE should be more systematically used in VWD patients with unexplained or recurrent GI bleeding looking for angiodysplasia eligible to endoscopic treatment or at high risk of relapse.

Keywords: angiodysplasia; argon plasma coagulation; gastrointestinal bleeding; video capsule endoscopy; von Willebrand disease.