Location in the ascending colon is a predictor of refractory colonic diverticular hemorrhage after endoscopic clipping.

BACKGROUND: Predictors of refractory colonic diverticular hemorrhage after endoscopic clipping (EC) remain unclear.

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the predictors of uncontrolled bleeding after EC.

DESIGN: Retrospective study.

SETTING: Two tertiary referral centers.

PATIENTS: Eighty-nine patients with colonic diverticular hemorrhage who underwent EC as a first-line treatment were included.

INTERVENTIONS: If bleeding remained uncontrolled after 1 or 2 EC sessions, other interventions (transcatheter arterial embolization, endoscopic band ligation, or surgery) were performed. Patients were divided into EC-controlled and EC-uncontrolled groups; the characteristics of each group were compared.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Comorbidities, location of bleeding diverticula, and EC technique (direct vs indirect placement).

RESULTS: Initial treatment with EC was successful in 87 patients. Early rebleeding (primary failure) occurred in 30 of 87 patients (34%). Secondary failure occurred in 6 of 22 patients treated with reclipping (27%). Cumulatively, 78 patients were successfully managed with EC. Non-EC treatments were required in 11 patients. Location in the right side of the colon, particularly in the ascending colon, was significantly more common in the EC-uncontrolled group than in the EC-controlled group (P = .017 and P = .0029, respectively). Although the difference was not significant, bleeding was successfully managed in all 13 patients treated with direct placement. Bleeding remained uncontrolled after EC in 11 of 52 ascending cases (21%) treated with indirect placement. Diverticular hemorrhage in other locations was managed regardless of EC technique.

LIMITATIONS: Retrospective study.

CONCLUSIONS: Location in the ascending colon is a significant predictor of refractory colonic diverticular hemorrhage after EC. Indirect placement of hemoclips in ascending lesions is ineffective.