Abstract
No endoscopic follow-up studies are available on the development of diffuse antral
vascular ectasia (DAVE). We present here a ten-year follow-up study from discrete
initial lesions to the full picture of DAVE. In a 72-year-old female patient with
liver cirrhosis, the earliest findings of DAVE were several red spots, with or without
a white halo, in the distal antrum. During follow-up, the spots increased in number,
coalesced, and extended to the proximal antrum. Three years after the initial findings,
latent hemorrhage occurred at a time when confluent lesions were formed. One year
later, diffuse distribution of the antral lesions was observed, which led to the diagnosis
of DAVE and developed to the full picture within three more years. Two years later,
the patient presented with hematemesis, which confirmed the diagnosis of DAVE clinically.
Treatment consisted of monopolar electrocoagulation, leading to a stable hemoglobin
value for one year. This case study provides some substantial clues to the early detection
and treatment of DAVE.
