The Visible Vessel and Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage

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Abstract
To the Editor: We agree with Dr. Griffiths and his co-workers1 that a visible vessel in a bleeding ulcer indicates a poor prognosis. However, since the advent of laser endoscopy, operation has not been the only treatment available for patients with uncontrolled upper-gastrointestinal-tract bleeding, including patients with a "visible vessel."In view of the extensive experience gained since 1975 with the high-power Neodymium-Yag laser,2 , 3 it is hard to accept the statement of Dr. Schapiro's editorial that laser energy has only been "used sporadically in human subjects." Kiefhaber et al.3 have reported that in 161 unselected patients with 202 bleeding ulcers, . . .