title: Long-term outcome after sclerotherapy with or without a beta-blocker for variceal bleeding in children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Esophageal variceal bleeding is a life-threatening complication of portal hypertension. Optimal treatment for the prophylaxis of variceal rebleeding in children has not yet been determined. In the present study, we aimed to compare the long-term efficacy of endoscopic sclerotherapy with or without oral beta-blocker therapy in the secondary prophylaxis of variceal bleeding.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-eight children who had undergone endoscopic sclerotherapy (EST) sessions for variceal bleeding in the Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Istanbul University Istanbul School of Medicine, were entered into this retrospective cohort study. Twenty patients (mean +/- SD age 7.0 +/- 2.7 years) had undergone only sclerotherapy sessions (SG), whereas 18 patients (mean age 6.8 +/- 3.4 years) had received oral propranolol (1-2 mg/kg per day) additionally for 2 years (SPG). The number of patients with successful obliteration, the time required for obliteration and variceal recurrence rate were analyzed as primary indicators of the effectiveness of therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Variceal obliteration was achieved in 16 of 20 patients (80%) in the SG group and in 16 of 18 patients (88%) in the SPG group. Time required for variceal obliteration was significantly shorter in the SPG group compared with the SG group (4.1 +/- 1.4 vs 3.2 +/- 0.9 months; P < 0.05). The variceal recurrence rate was 65 and 38.8% in the SG and SPG groups, respectively. Compared with the SG group, less variceal rebleeding was observed during EST in the SPG group (25 vs 16.6%, respectively).However, these differences were not statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Endoscopic sclerotherapy combined with oral propranolol treatment shortens the time required for variceal obliteration. However, the other indicators of treatment effectiveness are not influenced statistically by the addition of propranolol to the treatment regimen. Randomized prospective clinical studies in larger pediatric series are needed before offering a combination of EST with oral propranolol as the most rational approach in the secondary treatment of esophageal variceal bleeding in children.
authors.affiliation: Departmentof Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Istanbul School of Medicine and Instituteof Child Health, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Semra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sökücü
authors.forename: Ozlem Durmaz
authors.initials: OD
authors.lastname: Süoglu
authors.forename: Berna
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Elkabes
authors.forename: Günay
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Saner
mesh_terms: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004932:Esophageal and Gastric Varices / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D011433:Propranolol / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015911:Sclerotherapy; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D011433:Propranolol