Lower intestinal bleeding

Lower gastrointestinal tract bleeding is a frequent cause of physician cons ultations and hospital admissions. Clinical presentation is predictable and significantly influences subsequent patient management. Controversy surrou nding diagnosis and treatment of lower gastrointestinal bleeding results fr om a surprising lack of prospective controlled data. Thus, selection of dia gnostic and therapeutic manoeuvres often depends more on local expertise an d availability than on an algorithm approach. Advances in endoscopic. radio logical and surgical equipment and techniques offer promising new diagnosti c and therapeutic modalities, particularly in concerted applications. Outco me studies on the appropriate sequence and linking of these modalities are urgently needed. The present chapter will address clinical presentation, ae tiology, diagnosis and treatment of lower gastrointestinal tract bleeding.