title: Variceal hemorrhage.
abstract: Variceal hemorrhage is a complication of portal hypertension that has high mortality and high recurrence rates. Management of variceal bleeding involves three areas: treatment of active hemorrhage, prevention of rebleeding, and prevention of first variceal bleeding. There are two main therapeutic avenues: methods directed at reducing portal pressure, such as pharmacologic therapy, shunt surgery, and TIPS; and methods that act locally by decreasing or interrupting blood flow through a specific varice, such as sclerotherapy, banding, and balloon tamponade. The relative effectiveness of each of these interventions is discussed in this article.
authors.affiliation: Section of Digestive Diseases, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
authors.forename: V J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Navarro
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Garcia-Tsao
mesh_terms: D004932:Esophageal and Gastric Varices / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000628:therapy