[Aortic stenosis and intestinal blood loss from angiodysplasia: valve replacement is a therapeutic option].

Three patients, men aged 67, 68 en 61, had for many years suffered from recurrent iron deficient anaemia and were found to have an aortic stenosis. Coloscopy identified angiodysplastic lesions, and we suspected additional lesions in the small intestine. Despite surgical and endoscopic treatment, gastrointestinal bleeding recurred. Replacement of the stenosed aortic valve with a bioprosthesis led to a recovery in the haemoglobin levels of all three patients. Angiodysplasias are a common source of gastrointestinal bleeding with an invisible origin. Data from the literature suggest an association between aortic stenosis and angiodysplasia although epidemiological evidence is lacking.