Abstract

A prospective study of early diagnostic procedures in acute upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage was conducted in a series of 76 patients. The diagnostic procedures included upper gastrointestinal series radiography (UGIS) and endoscopy (ENDO). The clinicians' diagnosis and management improved in a statistically significant way as a result of the findings of endoscopy. The findings of UGIS did not significantly improve diagnostic accuracy and resulted in a statistically significant adverse effect on patient management. The results suggest that endoscopy is more effective in promoting early accurate diagnosis and management in patients with acute upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage.