The Dieulafoy gastric erosion. An infrequently recognized cause of upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage in the elderly.

Definitive treatment of the Dieulafoy erosion--once recognized--has generally been surgery. Numerous surgical approaches have been suggested, including: simple oversewing of the lesion, wedge restriction, and gastrectomy with and without vagotomy and pyloroplasty. Attempts at endoscopic electrocoagulation and angiographic embolization have generally been disappointing; however, Pointer et al have recently reported satisfactory control of hemorrhage from Dieulafoy lesions with bipolar electrocoagulation and endoscopic injection sclerotherapy, either independently or in combination. These case reports describe two elderly patients with massive upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding from Dieulafoy's gastric erosion; it is hoped the geriatrician will be alerted to an often unrecognized source of hemorrhage.