Rectal varices most commonly develop in patients with portal hypertension due to liver cirrhosis. Although rectal varices rarely cause bleeding, their rupture can lead to life-threatening massive hemorrhages. Balloonoccluded retrograde obliteration (BRTO) is feasible in cases of varices involving a single or a few drainage vessels. Although rectal varices usually have numerous drainage vessels,...

BACKGROUND Proximal or 'downhill' esophageal varices are a rare cause of upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Unlike the much more common distal esophageal varices, which are most commonly a result of portal hypertension, downhill esophageal varices result from vascular obstruction of the superior vena cava (SVC). While SVC obstruction is most commonly secondary to malignant causes, our review of...

BACKGROUND The relationships between the metabolic parameters and the endoscopic findings of esophageal varices have been poorly investigated. We investigated the association of the branched-chain amino acids to tyrosine ratio (BTR) with the severity of liver fibrosis and esophageal varices. MATERIAL AND METHODS We studied hepatitis C virus (HCV)-positive chronic liver disease patients who ha...

background: since variceal bleeding due to portal hypertension is associated with a high mortality rate, effective treatment leads to improved survival. endoscopic sclerotherapy is an effective treatment for bleeding esophageal varices, but it is associated with significant complications. to determine the efficacy and safety of endoscopic sclerotherapy, we evaluated the patients with variceal b...

OBJECTIVE To determine the safety and usefulness of a two-tiered approach to balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (B-RTO) as a treatment for large gastric varices after portal hypertension. MATERIALS AND METHODS 50 patients were studied who underwent B-RTO for gastric varices between October 2004 and October 2011 in our institution. The B-RTO procedure was performed from the r...

Duodenal varices are ectopic portosystemic shunts that do not tend to result in gastrointestinal bleeding. Balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration is an established treatment for gastric varices. We report a 60-year-old man with melena due to ruptured duodenal varices originating at an inferior pancreaticoduodenal vein; drainage was into a gonadal vein. His ruptured duodenal varice...

INTRODUCTION Isolated ectopic varices located in the small bowel are uncommon. Portal hypertension caused by liver cirrhosis is the most common predisposing risk factor. PRESENTATION OF CASE We present an unusual case of massive gastrointestinal bleeding from idiopathic jejunal varices in a 73-year-old Caucasian male without portal hypertension. Exploratory laparotomy disclosed ectopic varice...

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 ...

Esophagogastric varices are considered to be the most common complication in patients with portal hypertension. Endoscopic ultrasonography not only visualizes the surface of the varices but also provides detailed information about their internal structure. The direction of blood flow can be determined and its velocity measured only via endoscopic color Doppler ultrasonography (ECDUS). This can ...

A 68-year-old man with hemophilia A and liver cirrhosis caused by hepatitis C virus was referred to our hospital to receive prophylactic endoscopic treatment for gastroesophageal varices (GOV). He had large, tense, and winding esophageal varices (EV) with cherry red spots extending down to lesser curve, predicting the likelihood of bleeding. Esophageal endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (EIS) w...