Diagnostic and Management Difficulty of Bleeding Aorto-Duodenal Fistula Associated with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Abstract

Primary aorto-enteric fistula (AEF) resulting from abdominal malignancy is a rare and often fatal complication. The few reports to date are mostly secondary to solid tumors. We present a case of a patient with refractory Hodgkin’s lymphoma who developed life-threatening AEF. We describe the diagnostic and therapeutic efforts, requiring a multi-disciplinary team of interventional radiology, gastroenterology, and transfusion medicine, resulting in a favorable outcome. Importantly, we offer several insights regarding the identification and management of high-risk patients, with an emphasis on pre-treatment considerations and urgent diagnosis and intervention.

Keywords

• Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• aortic-duodenal fistula
• massive bleeding protocol