Use of Balloon Enteroscopy in Preoperative Diagnosis of Neurofibromatosis-Associated Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumours of the Small Bowel: A Case Report

• Main Authors: Kazuki Takakura, Mikio Kajihara, Shigemasa Sasaki, Tomohisa Nagano, Arihito Ohta, Masahiro Ikegami, Ken Eto, Hideyuki Kashiwagi, Katsuhiko Yanaga, Seiji Arihiro, Tomohiro Kato, Hisao Tajiri
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Karger Publishers 2011-05-01
• Series: Case Reports in Gastroenterology
• Subjects: Balloon enteroscopy; Small intestine; Neurofibromatosis type I; Gastrointestinal stromal tumours
• Online Access: http://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/329171
• ISSN: 1662-0631

Neurofibromatosis type I (NF1) is one of the most common inheritable disorders and is associated with an increased risk of gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs). However, the predominant location of these lesions in the small bowel makes them difficult to diagnose. We report the successful use of balloon enteroscopy in conjunction with conventional methods for clinical diagnosis of jejunal GISTs in a 70-year-old man with NF1 who presented with melaena. The importance of screening NF1 patients for GISTs and the complementary role of balloon enteroscopy with capsule endoscopy in such diagnoses is discussed.