CARCINOID-TUMOR ASSOCIATED WITH VASCULAR MALFORMATION AS A CAUSE OF MASSIVE GASTRIC BLEEDING

Massive gastric bleeding in a 28-yr-old woman requiring emergency surg ical treatment was found to originate from a polypoid carcinoid tumor 1.3 cm in diameter, Histologically, the tumor was found to be associat ed with a complex vascular malformation apparently originating from th e underlying submucosa, crossing the tumor and ending in large mucosal sinusoids that opened on the mucosal surface. A similar clinical pres entation was reported in three previous cases of small gastric carcino ids, one of which revealed an anomalous intratumoral bleeding artery, We recommend that in the absence of more common causative lesions of g astric bleeding, gastric carcinoid be considered in cases of focal mas sive hemorrhage requiring emergency treatment.