Management of portal hypertension in children: a retrospective study with long-term follow-up.
OBJECTIVE
Data regarding the management of the portal hypertensive haemorrhage in the paediatric patients have yielded conflicting results. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of beta-blocker (propranolol) alone, sclerotherapy alone and beta-blocker + sclerotherapy combination in the management of portal hypertension in the paediatric population.


METHODS
Medical information was retrieved from the records of 62 children with portal hypertension who were under treatment during at least two years of follow-up period. Data collected included diagnosis, type of portal hypertension, age at initiation of therapy, bleeding episodes before and during therapy.


RESULTS
Sixteen of 62 patients were diagnosed as extrahepatic portal hypertension, 46 as intrahepatic portal hypertension. The mean age of study population was 7.6 +/- 4.2 years, 45 percent being females. The mean duration of follow-up under therapy was 5.2 +/- 2.5 years. Among the patients with intrahepatic portal hypertension, 29 received propranolol + sclerotherapy, 12 received only propranolol and 5 received only sclerotherapy. There was no significant decrease in bleeding episodes during propranolol or sclerotherapy. However patients under propranolol + sclerotherapy, showed significant decrease in bleeding episodes during therapy (23/29 before therapy, 15/29 during therapy, p < 0.05). Rebleeding index in patients with IHPH was significantly long in the group treated by propranolol + sclerotherapy (p = 0.0001) compared with before therapy. Because the numbers of patients in the groups are small, Kaplan Meier estimation suggest that propranol treatment is more effective. But there isn't significant difference when the results were compared with those of before therapy, except in the combined treatment group.


CONCLUSIONS
The monotherapy is not sufficient for longterm follow-up of portal hypertensive patients. The combination therapy with propranolol + sclerotherapy appears more encouraging in the prevention of portal hypertensive haemorrhage, but this needs to be assessed in randomized trials.
Erkan
Tülay
T
Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty of Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey. tulerkan@hotmail.com.tr
Cullu
Fügen
F
Kutlu
Tufan
T
Emir
Haluk
H
Yeşildağ
Ebru
E
Sarimurat
Nüvit
N
Senyüz
Osman Faruk
OF
Erginöz
Ethem
E
Tümay
Güngör T
GT
D000293:Adolescent; D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004932:Esophageal and Gastric Varices / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D011433:Propranolol / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015911:Sclerotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D011433:Propranolol