Dieulafoy's Lesion: An often Missed Endoscopic Diagnosis

Dieulafoy’s lesion (DL) is an aberrantly dilated (up to 3-mm in diameter) and tortuous submucosal artery that protrudes through the gastrointestinal mucosa. It is a rare and potentially serious cause of gastrointestinal bleeding. The difficulty in detecting these lesions remains a major challenge. Initial endoscopy may miss diagnosis in about one thirds of cases of DL. Bleeding from DL can be intermittent and may therefore be difficult to identify. Furthermore, the bleeding point can be very small, or the lesion may be covered by blood clot. Repeat endoscopy is often rewarding in diagnosis of DL. We describe three cases of gastrointestinal bleeding due to DL; two of them were diagnosed at repeat endoscopy.

Keywords: Dieulafoy’s lesion: Endoscopy; Gastrointestinal bleeding.