Background: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a curative, standard therapy for colorectal neoplasms. Some studies have investigated the risk factors for perforation during colorectal ESD. However, few studies have assessed the risk factors for delayed bleeding after colorectal ESD. We studied patients undergoing ESD for colorectal epithelial neoplasms to identify the risk factors for post-ESD bleeding.
Patients and methods: We studied 124 consecutive patients undergoing ESD for colorectal epithelial neoplasms. To identify risk factors for delayed bleeding post-ESD, recurrent bleeding post-ESD was compared with patient-related and tumor-related factors.
Results: Delayed bleeding after ESD occurred in 10 (8.1%) lesions of 124 colorectal tumors, and the median time from the end of ESD to the onset of bleeding was 18.5 h. Delayed bleeding was significantly higher in tumors located in rectums than in colons (P=0.021), and the number of occurrences of arterial bleeding during ESD was significantly higher in the delayed bleeding group than in the nondelayed bleeding group (P=0.002). The procedure time was significantly longer in the delayed bleeding group than in the nondelayed bleeding group (P=0.012). On multivariate logistic regression analysis, tumor location (odds ratio, 10.13; 95% confidence interval, 1.18-87.03; P=0.035) and three or more occurrences of arterial bleeding during ESD (odds ratio, 6.86; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-41.5; P=0.036) were significant independent risk factors for delayed bleeding.
Conclusion: The presence of lesions in the rectum and three or more arterial bleeding occurrences during ESD were risk factors for post-ESD bleeding. Patients with these risk factors should be followed up carefully after ESD for colorectal epithelial neoplasms.