A case of a ruptured submucosal aneurysm of the small intestine identified using double-balloon enteroscopy

A 47-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital urgently with sudden-onset hematochezia. She was temporarily in a state of hemorrhagic shock. As we strongly suspected bleeding from the small intestine, peroral double-balloon enteroscopy was performed, and indicated a 2.0-cm diameter hemispheric elevated lesion in the jejunum. Moreover, a blood clot was observed at the top of the protrusion. The site was marked by injecting India ink, without taking a biopsy specimen, to avoid further hemorrhaging. Subsequently, laparoscopic partial small bowel resection was performed. On histopathological examination, the lesion was found to be a sac-like submucosal arterial aneurysm, with a diameter of 3.5 mm, comprising several small abnormal arteries. The final diagnosis was a ruptured submucosal aneurysm of the small intestine. Ruptured submucosal aneurysms are very rarely observed in the small intestine. Only a few reports have described their endoscopic findings. Our experience indicates that small bowel enteroscopy may be useful for managing ruptured submucosal aneurysms of the small intestine.