[Current possibilities in radiology for the diagnosis and therapy of gastrointestinal hemorrhage (roentgen diagnosis, nuclear medicine and interventional radiology)].

Especially in acute gastrointestinal bleeding, conventional x-ray examinations with barium sulfate contrast are obsolete. On the other hand, blood pool scintigraphy and selective angiography are efficient methods to localize bleeding sources that have not been identified by prior endoscopy. In the interval between acute bleeding episodes, only vascular or highly vascularised lesions--as aneurysms, angiomas and leiomyomas--can be demonstrated. In all other lesions, active bleeding during the examination is a prerequisite. Angiography has not only a diagnostic, but also a therapeutic potential. By preoperative hemostasis, the circulatory conditions of the patient can be stabilized and surgery can be performed with a lower mortality risk. In "poor risk" patients, transarterial therapy can replace surgical interventions.