Prognostic and recurrence factors after endoscopic injection sclerotherapy for esophageal varices: Multivariate analysis with the propensity score matching: Multivariate analysis with propensity score matching

Endoscopic ultrasound in portal hypertension: navigating venous hemodynamics and treatment efficacy

Portal hypertension-related complications increase mortality in patients, irrespective of its etiology. Classically, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) was used to assess the portal venous system and collaterals, considering size and hemodynamic parameters, which correlate with portal hypertension (PH) and related complications. Furthermore, therapeutic EUS guides treatment interventions, such as embolization of the gastric varices through coil placement and tissue adhesive injection, yielding encouraging clinical results. Recently, the direct measurement of portal pressure, emerging as an alternative to hepatic venous pressure gradient, has shown promise, and further research in this area is anticipated. In this review, we aimed to provide a detailed description of various possibilities for diagnosing vascular anatomy and hemodynamics in PH and actual knowledge on the EUS usefulness for PH vessel-related complications. Also, future promises for this field of endo-hepatology are discussed.

Management of an Esophago-pleural Fistula after Emergent Endoscopic Variceal Injectional Sclerotherapy: A Case Report And Literature Review

A 48-year-old man developed sudden-onset haematemesis and melena after decompensated posthepatitic cirrhosis. Endoscopic variceal injectional sclerotherapy was emergently performed. However, the patient developed esophago-pleural fistula, empyema, and liver failure. He thus received symptomatic treatments and nasojejunal feedings, which failed to restore the nutrition as the gastroesophageal reflux exacerbated the hydrothorax. Percutaneous endoscopic gastro-jejunal (PEG-J) was therefore carefully performed for enteral nutrition support. The patient had recovered from the fistula at a six-month follow-up, which allowed the resumption of an oral diet. Our literature review revealed that PEG-J is a feasible approach to treating esophago-pleural fistula, a rare but lethal complication of endoscopic sclerotherapy.

Outcomes and Recurrence Rate of Esophageal Varices after Endoscopic Treatment in Patients with Alcoholic Cirrhosis and Viral Cirrhosis

BACKGROUND

The incidence of alcoholic liver cirrhosis (ALC) is increasing. However, few reports have focused on ALC-derived esophageal varices (EV). We retrospectively examined differences in overall survival (OS) and EV recurrence rate in patients after endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (EIS) for ALC and hepatic B/C virus liver cirrhosis (B/C-LC).

METHODS

We analyzed data from 215 patients (B/C-LC, 147; ALC, 68) who underwent EIS. The primary endpoints were OS and EV recurrence in patients with unsuccessful abstinence ALC and those with uncontrolled B/C-LC, before and after propensity score matching (PSM) to unify the patients' background. The secondary endpoints were predictors associated with these factors, as determined by multivariate analysis.

RESULTS

The observation period was 1,430 ± 1,363 days. In the analysis of all patients, OS was significantly higher in the ALC group than in the B/C-LC group (p = 0.039); however, there was no difference in EV recurrence rate (p = 0.502). Ascites and history of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (p = 0.019 and p < 0.001, respectively) predicted OS, whereas age and EV size predicted recurrence (p = 0.011 and 0.024, respectively). In total, 96 patients without an HCC history were matched by PSM, and there was no significant difference in OS or EV recurrence rate (p = 0.508 and 0.246, respectively).

CONCLUSION

When limited to patients without a history of HCC, OS and the EV recurrence rate were comparable in patients with ALC who continued to consume alcohol and those with B/C-LC without viral control.

Balloon-occluded Esophageal Varices Obliteration Versus Ligation for the Management of F2 Esophageal Varices: A Randomized Controlled Trial

AIM

To compare balloon-occluded esophageal varices obliteration (BEVO) with esophageal variceal ligation (EVL) in the management of cirrhotic patients with type F2 esophageal varices (F2-EVs).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 157 patients with F2-EVs were randomly assigned to either BEVO (n=79) or EVL (n=78) group in the prospective study between July 2021 and December 2021. Primary outcomes included recurrence and eradication rates. Secondary outcomes included rebleeding rate, and procedural complications.

RESULTS

The recurrence rate of EVs was notably lower in the BEVO group than in the EVL group (3.80% vs. 21.79%; P =0.001). The rate of complete eradication in the BEVO group was significantly higher than that of the EVL group (96.20% vs. 74.36%; P <0.001). The incidence of rebleeding in the BEVO group was markedly lower than that of the EVL group (7.59% vs. 20.51%; P =0.02). There was a higher incidence of transient dysphagia in the EVL group than in the BEVO group (10.26% vs. 1.27%; P =0.015).

CONCLUSIONS

BEVO exerted an effective treatment option for F2-EVs.