Pancreatic lithiasis: a rare cause of gastrointestinal hemorrhage.

The rare instance of a gastrointestinal hemorrhage caused by a lithiasis of the duct of Wirsung is described. The world literature records only 13 other cases. Pancreatic calculi cause hemorrhage by either migrating through the pancreatic parenchyma to perforate the duodenum, ulcerating the vessels of the periductal parenchyma, or rupturing the pancreas. The usual sign of this complication of chronic calcifying pancreatitis, difficult to diagnose, is repeated gastrointestinal hemorrhages and sometimes pain, as in epigastric colitis. The immediate therapy is control of the hemorrhage. With transcatheter occlusive techniques, radical surgery can be postponed until it is more tolerable.