%0 Journal Article
%T Blue Rubber Bleb Nevus Syndrome as a Cause of Lower Digestive Bleeding
%A Carlos Augusto Real Martinez
%A Murilo Rocha Rodrigues
%A Daniela Tiemi Sato
%A Paulo Pedroso Silveira J¨²nior
%A Rafael Fernandes Gama
%A Christian Bornia Mattavelli
%A Jos¨¦ Aires Pereira
%J Case Reports in Surgery
%D 2014
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2014/683684
%X Introduction. Blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome is a rare disorder that is characterized by multiple recurrent vascular malformations that involve the skin and the gastrointestinal tract. The disease can present chronic anemia and severe episodes of gastrointestinal bleeding. Case Report. A 41-year-old man was admitted with recurrent episodes of lower gastrointestinal bleeding and anemia that had worsened over the last 3 months. The physical examination showed soft, diffuse, compressible, bluish nodules on all of the skin surfaces of the body. A biopsy from one of these skin lesions allowed a histological diagnosis of cavernous hemangioma. He submitted to a colonoscopy, which showed hemorrhoids and a plane vascular lesion mainly located on the right colon with recent signs of bleeding; this lesion was treated by local excision and sclerosis. The pathological study of the colon specimens also reflected the presence of cavernous hemangioma. The cutaneous hemangiomas and the presence of colonic venous malformations were compatible with blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome. The patient presented a favorable follow-up with clinical control of the anemia and without relapse of the gastrointestinal bleeding two years after the procedure. Conclusion. Although rarely diagnosed, blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome may be responsible for lower digestive bleeding. 1. Introduction Blue rubber nevus syndrome (BRNS), also known as Bean Syndrome, is a rare angiomatosis condition with an estimated incidence of 1£¿:£¿14,000 births [1, 2]. This syndrome is characterized by the association of cutaneous and gastrointestinal venous malformations with iron deficiency anemia or gastrointestinal bleeding [3]. The disease was described by Gascoyen (1860) [4], but Bean differentiated this type of angiomatosis from other vascular diseases of the skin in 1958 [5]. BRNS can affect many organs and, since its initial description, it is estimated that there have been fewer than 200 cases published to date [6, 7]. This disease affects both adults and children of both sexes but is rare among black subjects [8]. In most cases, it is not possible to identify a family history, although a dominant pattern of inheritance has been reported [9]. The purpose of this paper is to describe a case of BRNS with cutaneous and colon involvement that evolved from lower gastrointestinal bleeding, the diagnosis of which was confirmed by histopathological study. 2. Case Report A 41-year-old black male was admitted for the investigation of recurrent episodes of lower gastrointestinal bleeding over the previous 10 years
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/cris/2014/683684/