Complexities of Occult and Obscure Gastrointestinal Bleeding: A Case Report

Small-bowel vascular malformations represent an uncommon but important source of obscure bleeding that can lead to iron deficiency anemia. Diagnosis and management can be challenging due to the intermittent nature and inaccessibility of small-bowel lesions. We present a 36-year-old man with recurrent iron deficiency anemia (IDA) requiring monthly iron infusions, in whom investigations using multiple modalities revealed the unusual finding of multiple small-bowel vascular malformations. Extensive investigations have failed to definitively localize a culprit bleeding point. This case highlights the diagnostic complexity of occult small-bowel bleeding and highlights the need for a coordinated multidisciplinary approach to establish an optimal management strategy.