title: Emergency and elective sclerotherapy of oesophageal varices.
abstract: Endoscopic injection sclerotherapy of oesophageal varices was performed in 71 patients: 50 with intrahepatic and 21 with extrahepatic block. In summary 330 procedures were done: 220 under general anaesthesia using the Negus rigid oesophagoscope and 110 with diazepam as premedication using a flexible, fibreoptic endoscope. Definitive control of variceal haemorrhage was achieved in 30 of 34 emergency admissions (88%). The hospital mortality in acute variceal bleeding was 26.5%. Elective, repeated sclerotherapy was performed in 60 patients. In 43 patients complete obliteration of varices or their marked reduction were observed. Rebleeding occurred in 23% and major complications in 17% of patients. The overall one year survival rate was 82%. We consider sclerotherapy as a method of choice in bleeding oesophageal varices uncontrollable by vasopressin and balloon tamponade. It also represents a valuable method of preventing rebleeding particularly in patients with a high operative risk.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Research Institute of Hematology, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Szczepanik
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Rudowski
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004630:Emergencies; D004932:Esophageal and Gastric Varices / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D012597:Sclerosing Solutions / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D012597:Sclerosing Solutions