Recurrent Gastrointestinal Bleeding in a Patient With Severe Aortic Valve Stenosis: A Diagnosis of Heyde's Syndrome

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation for patients with heyde syndrome: A literature review of case reports

Objective

A systematic review of international case reports of patients with Heyde syndrome (HS) treated by transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) was conducted to explore the clinical characteristics of this group of patients and sirgical success. Methods: Electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase and CNKI, were searched with combinations of the search terms, Heyde syndrome, gastrointestinal bleeding, aortic stenosis, angiodysplasia and transcatheter aortic valve replacement. All case reports were screened according to inclusion criteria, and HS patient data was summarized.

Results

A total of 31 case reports concerned patients with a history of aortic stenosis and repeated gastrointestinal bleeding. Ultrasonic cardiograms (UCG) were recorded for 27 cases, including those with critical aortic stenosis (n = 26). Gastrointestinal sequelae were reported in 22 cases with duodenal and jejunal being the most common (n = 9). High-molecular-weight multimers of von Willebrand Factor (vWF-HMWM) were measured in 17 cases with the majority being lower (n = 15) and the minority normal (n = 2). All patients experienced recurrent bleeding after medication and endoscopic therapy and symptoms improved after TAVI (31/31). vWF was at normal levels in 11/12 cases post-TAVI. Twenty-five patients were followed up and 22 had no recurrence of symptoms giving an efficacy rate of 88% for TAVI in HS patients.

Conclusions

HS is characterized by angiodysplasia, aortic stenosis and von Willebrand disease with frequent recurrence of bleeding after drug and endoscopic treatment. TAVI is an effective therapy with an 88% resolution rate.

Heyde's syndrome: a systematic review of case reports

Objective

Heyde’s syndrome (HS), a rare condition characterised by a unique relationship between severe aortic stenosis and angiodysplasia, is often diagnosed late increasing the risk for a prolonged hospital course and mortality in the elderly. The leading hypothesis explaining the aetiology of HS is acquired von Willebrand syndrome (AVWS) but not all studies support this claim. While individual cases of HS have been reported, here we present the first systematic review of case reports and focus on the prevalence of AVWS.

Design

A systematic search was conducted through PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL-EBSCO, Web of Science and Google Scholar since inception. The resulting articles were screened by two independent reviewers based on inclusion criteria that the article must be a case report/series or a letter to the editor in English describing HS in an adult patient.

Results

Seventy-four articles encompassing 77 cases met the inclusion criteria. The average age was 74.3±9.3 years old with a slight female predominance. The small intestine, especially the jejunum, was the most common location for bleeding origin. Capsule endoscopy and double balloon enteroscopy were superior at identifying bleeding sources than colonoscopy (p=0.0027 and p=0.0095, respectively) and oesophagogastroduodenoscopy (p=0.0006 and p=0.0036, respectively). The mean duration from symptom onset to diagnosis/treatment of HS was 23.8±39 months. Only 27/77 cases provided evidence for AVWS. Surgical and transcutaneous aortic valve replacement (AVR) were superior at preventing rebleeding than non-AVR modalities (p<0.0001).

Conclusion

Further research is warranted for a stronger understanding and increased awareness of HS, which may hasten diagnosis and optimal management.