title: Incidence and fate of antral varices.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the incidence of antral varices (AV) and their fate in patients with portal hypertension so as to formulate a management policy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Single surgical unit specializing in portal hypertension management in a tertiary level centre.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three hundred and seventy-one patients [cirrhosis 170, non-cirrhotic portal fibrosis (NCPF) 53, extrahepatic portal venous obstruction (EHPVO) 148] with history of bleeding from oesophageal varices were inducted in the chronic sclerotherapy programme.
  
  
  METHODS
  Protocol-based endoscopic sclerotherapy and management of bleeding for oesophageal varices.
  
  
  METHODS
  Development or disappearance of AV, bleeding from AV.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No patient had AV on index endoscopy. Thirteen (3.5%) patients developed AV, in cirrhosis 2.9%, EHPVO 4.1%, NCPF 3.8% (P = 0.86). AV developed after a mean of 15 months. Oesophageal varices took a longer number of sessions to obliterate in patients with AV (11.1 vs 5.98 sessions, P<0.0001). Only one patient bled, having coexistent oesophageal varices and gastropathy. AV disappeared spontaneously in seven patients, recurring in only one. Of seven persisting AV, none have bled over a mean follow-up of 30 months (SD 23.2).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AV are seen in a small proportion of patients, and are distributed equally amongst the aetiologies of portal hypertension. They rarely bleed and may be ignored during sclerotherapy of oesophageal varices.
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Surgical Services, King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, Bombay, India. shahsudeep@hotmail.com
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Desai
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Mathur
mesh_terms: D015331:Cohort Studies; D004724:Endoscopy; D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal; D004932:Esophageal and Gastric Varices / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000150:complications; D015994:Incidence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015911:Sclerotherapy