title: Transcatheter obliteration of gastric varices. Part 1. Anatomic classification.
abstract: Since its introduction in the mid-1990s, balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (BRTO) has become widely accepted in Japan as a minimally invasive, highly effective treatment for gastric varices. Sufficient filling and stagnation of the sclerosing agent in the entire variceal complex is essential for successful BRTO of gastric varices. However, the success of BRTO in this context also requires familiarity with the hemodynamic features of the varices, including the patterns of their afferent and draining veins, which affect the degree of difficulty in performing BRTO. Thus, accurate assessment of the hemodynamic pattern before and during each procedure is essential for successful treatment. Sixty cases of gastric varices that were successfully treated with transcatheter techniques over the past 5 years were reviewed and analyzed. From this study, a classification system for gastric varices was developed that is based on the hemodynamic pattern of the varices.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Oita Medical University, 1-1 Hasama, Oita 879-55, Japan. hkiyosue@oita-med.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hiro
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kiyosue
authors.forename: Hiromu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Shunro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Yasunari
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Yuzo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hori
authors.forename: Yuriko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okino
mesh_terms: D021721:Balloon Occlusion / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D004932:Esophageal and Gastric Varices / Q000145:classification* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000145:classification / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D015641:Radiography, Interventional / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D013270:Stomach / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology