BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Symmers periportal fibrosis secondary to schistosomiasis is a common cause of portal hypertension worldwide. Data on the prevalence of gastric varices and portal hypertensive gastropathy in this group of patients with portal hypertension is relatively scarce. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of gastric varices and portal hypertensive gastropathy in ...

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS  Screening for esophageal and gastric varices is indicated for patients with portal hypertension or cirrhosis. Typically, conventional endoscopy is used; however, the need for sedation increases the costs and risks, especially in cirrhotic patients. Use of transnasal endoscopy with an ultrathin endoscope enables study of the upper gastrointestinal tract without the nee...

This prospective follow-up study was designed to analyze the causes and outcome of upper gastrointestinal bleeding among patients presenting by hematemesis and/or melena to Emergency Endoscopy Unit, Ain Shams University Hospitals. One thousand patients presented by upper GIT bleeding were subjected to complete clinical evaluation, emergency upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and therapeutic inter...

Portal hypertension is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in liver cirrhosis. Complications of portal hypertension in cirrhotic patients include esophageal and gastric varices, portal hypertensive gastropathy, ascites, hepatorenal syndrome, hepatopulmonary syndrome and portopulmonary hypertension. The hepatic venous pressure gradient should be at least 10 mmHg for esophageal varices t...

Approximately one in six patients with portal hypertension who develop varices at sites of portosystemic venous collaterals has gastric varices due to hepatofugal flow into the gastric veins. Bleeding from gastric varices, though less common, has a higher mortality and morbidity compared to bleeding esophageal varices, which are easier to manage endoscopically. The efferent channel for gastric ...

Varices most commonly occur and bleed in the gastro-esophageal region but ectopic varices can arise at extra-gastro-esophageal locations in the gastrointestinal tract like duodenum, jejunum, ileum, colon, rectum, biliary tree and at the site of a surgical ostomy. These varices pose diagnostic as well as therapeutic challenges during endoscopic procedures. Ectopic varices can also occur outside ...

A 54-year-old male diagnosed with alcoholic cirrhosis had multiple episodes of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. He had a previous episode of hepatic encephalopathy. Baseline hepatic venous pressure gradient was 10 mmHg, and model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score was 18. Gastroscopy revealed small low-risk esophageal varices (Figure 1a) and an active spurt from gastroesophageal varices t...

It is known that upper gastrointestinal bleeding has many causes, esophageal and gastric lesions being the most frequent. Esophageal varices, the most common esophageal disease involved in the appearance of gastrointestinal bleeding, are due to portal hypertension, which is generated by different causes, including portal cavernoma [1,2]. It is also known that portal cavernoma can have many caus...

Ramond, M-J, Valla, D., Mosnier, J-F, Degott, C., Bernau., J., Rueff, B. and Benhamou, J-P. (1989) Successful Endoscopic Obturation of Gastric Varices with Butyl Cyanoacylate. Hepatology; 10: 488-493. In 27 patients who had bled from esophagogastric varices, large-sized and/or actively bleeding gastric varices were endoscopically obturated with the tissue adhesive butyl cyanoacrylate. Active bl...