Journal Article

During the past 20 years, endoscopy has developed as the modality of choice for determining diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy for severe gastrointestinal bleeding. When endoscopy was first introduced to evaluate gastrointestinal bleeding in the late 1970s, early diagnostic endoscopy did not affect patient outcome. [46] Subsequently, improvements in endoscopes and endoscopic accessories allowed development of therapeutic techniques. Experienced endoscopists now can diagnose a source of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in greater than 90% of cases, which facilitates simultaneous treatment via endoscopy. [14] There are now standardized techniques for endoscopy, consensus for high-risk stigmata of hemorrhage, and effective endoscopic hemostasis treatments. This article reviews the indications, technique, and efficacy of therapeutic endoscopy.