Gastrointestinal bleeding. Endoscopic diagnosis
Hoare, A.M.
British Journal of Hospital Medicine 23(4): 347-356
1980
ISSN/ISBN: 0007-1064 PMID: 6966950 Document Number: 160829
Emergency endoscopy is the most accurate method of diagnosis in acute upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage. As yet this increased diagnostic accuracy has not been shown to affect the final outcome and a double-contrast barium meal is almost as accurate in the diagnosis of chronic lesions. Nevertheless, the decision to operate on a bleeding patient is difficult to make without a diagnosis and this is most accurately made initially by endoscopy followed by angiography or a barium meal when necessary.