title: Salvage therapies for refractory variceal hemorrhage.
abstract: Refractory variceal bleeding is defined as bleeding that continues through adequate pharmacologic and endoscopic therapy. In patients with end-stage liver disease, the only option for long-term salvage is liver transplantation. In patients with well-preserved liver function (Child's class A and class B-7), other salvage options such as surgical shunt, TIPS, and devascularization procedures can achieve good outcome. The long-term survival depends on the underlying liver disease, rather than on the variceal bleeding per se.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA. henderm@ccf.org
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Henderson
mesh_terms: D019299:Decompression, Surgical / Q000379:methods; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D019168:Portasystemic Shunt, Transjugular Intrahepatic; D016879:Salvage Therapy; D014648:Varicose Veins / Q000150:complications*; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures