Small-bowel carcinoid presenting with acute bleeding detected upon wireless capsule endoscopy

Abstract

Background. Intestine carcinoid usually presents with clinical symptoms and signs deriving from its endocrinological influences and rarely bleeds profusely.

Case report. We present a patient with intestinal bleeding of unknown origin. After conventional diagnostic procedures only wireless capsule endosopy was able to discover a tumour of small bowel, which was the reason of bleeding. On patohistological examination after the surgical resection it proved to be a small bowel carcinoid.

Conclusions. There are indications that WCE, besides being the first small bowel imaging technique, is a very important diagnostic tool, deserving consideration in the early phases of diagnosing small-bowel disease, especially in less intensive or occult bleeding.