Endoscopic banding ligation can effectively remove the submucosal tumor

Endoscopic band ligation for variceal bleeding in cirrhosis has been proved its safety and efficacy. We tried to treat submucosal tumors the gastrointestinal (GI) tract by endoscopic band ligation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of endoscopic band ligation in the treatment of submucosal tumors of the GI tract. There are 29 patients (15 men, 14 women, age range: 25-67 years old) with 30 submucosal lesions of the GI tract, including 15 lesions in the esophagus, 14 lesions in the of stomach and 1 lesion in the duodenal bulb. The average maximum diameter of the lesions was 7.78 mm (range: 2.4-23.6 mm). All submucosal lesions were successfully removed by band ligation. There is no bleeding and perforation in all patients. No recurrence was observed for the one month following-up. Endoscopic band ligation promises could be considered as a safe and effective for the treatment submucosal tumors of the GI tract, especially for the diameter of tumor < 25 mm.