Hemosuccus Pancreaticus: Mysterious Cause of Gastrointestinal Bleeding and Pain

Author(s): Rajesh Yadav, Raviraj Sudhakarrao Chavan

Hemosuccus pancreaticus is a very rare but severe form of upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage. The most common etiology is peripancreatic pseudoaneurysm secondary to chronic pancreatitis. These pseudoaneurysms may either bleed intra abdominally following rupture or may erode into the adjacent hollow viscera and manifest as gastrointestinal bleeding. Pseudoaneurysms rarely communicate with the pancreatic duct and bleeding occurs from the ampulla of Vater in the form of hemosuccus pancreaticus. Due to the rarity of gastroduodenal artery pseudoaneurysms, most of the current literature consists of case reports. Limited knowledge about the disease causes diagnostic difficulty.