Rare GI disease leads to 20-plus units of transfused blood

A rare intestinal lymphangioma caused life-threatening bleeding without typical laboratory features of protein-losing enteropathy

Category	Detail
Condition	Intestinal lymphangioma with secondary lymphangiectasia
Key Mechanisms	Severe gastrointestinal bleeding due to lymphatic disease
Target Population	Adults with unexplained gastrointestinal bleeding
Care Setting	Case report in a clinical pathology context

First reported case requiring small bowel transplantation for intestinal lymphangioma
Patient presented with gastrointestinal bleeding, iron-deficiency anemia, and abdominal pain
CT imaging showed hypodense mesenteric lymphadenopathy
Endoscopic biopsy revealed a vascular-rich lesion consistent with lymphangioma
Patient developed multiorgan failure and died 20 days post-transplantation

Consider intestinal lymphangiectasia in adults with unexplained gastrointestinal bleeding

Small bowel transplantation may be necessary in cases of persistent bleeding and diffuse disease

Monitor for complications such as empyema and venous thrombosis post-transplantation

Adult male with recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding

Required more than 20 units of packed red blood cells due to refractory hemorrhage

Emphasize tissue diagnosis when imaging suggests lymphoproliferative disease
Evaluate for classic protein-losing enteropathy features in patients with lymphatic disease