title: Endoscopic sclerotherapy versus oesophageal transection in the prevention of variceal rebleeding.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare sclerotherapy with oesophageal transection in the prevention of rebleeding in patients with oesophageal varices.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-one patients with cirrhosis and variceal bleeding.
  
  
  METHODS
  After recovering from an acute episode of oesophageal variceal bleeding patients were randomized into two groups. One patient was excluded. Twenty-two patients were treated with sclerotherapy (group 1) and 18 underwent an oesophageal transection (group 2), with a shorter elapsed time from randomization to treatment in group 1. Both groups were similar with regard to clinical and biochemical features and variceal size. Failure, defined in group 1 as rebleeding or incomplete eradication after four sclerotherapy sessions, occurred in five (22.7%) patients; in group 2, rebleeding occurred in two (11.1%) patients (no statistically significant difference).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the survival rate was similar in both groups, sclerotherapy is preferable to oesophageal transection because it requires a shorter duration of hospitalization and has fewer complications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital La FE, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nos
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sala
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pertejo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berenguer
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Garrigues
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pons
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Juan
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Berenguer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004724:Endoscopy; D004932:Esophageal and Gastric Varices / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D004947:Esophagus / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence; D015911:Sclerotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D015996:Survival Rate; D017211:Treatment Failure