Challenges of banding jejunal varices in an 8-year-old child

Endoscoic variceal ligation (EVL) by the application of bands on small bowel varices is a relatively rare procedure in gastroenterology and hepatology. There are no previously reported paediatric cases of EVL for jejunal varices. We report a case of an eight-year-old male patient with a complex surgical background leading to jejunal varices and short bowel syndrome, presenting with obscure but profound acute gastrointestinal bleeding. Wireless capsule endoscopy and double balloon enteroscopy (DBE) confirmed jejunal varices as the source of bleeding. The commercially available variceal banding devices are not long enough to be used either with DBE or with push enteroscopes. With the use of an operating gastroscope, four bands were placed successfully on the afferent and efferent ends of the leads of the 2 of the varices. Initial hemostasis was achieved with obliteration of the varices after three separate applications. This case illustrates the feasibility of achieving initial hemostasis in the pediatric population.