[Sclerotherapy of esophageal varices using ethanol in combination with propranolol: clinical study of 30 patients]

A prospective study was conducted in 30 patients to assess the efficacy and safety of endoscopic sclerotherapy with absolute alcohol associated with propranolol for prevention of recurrent variceal bleeding. Patients were included if propranolol alone had failed or if they had at least three factors which increased the risk of rebleeding although the patients were receiving propranolol; two patients were treated by sclerotherapy only because of contraindications to propranolol. Etiology of portal hypertension was cirrhosis in 29 patients and portal vein thrombosis in one patient. Seventeen patients were grade A and 13 were grade B according to Child-Pugh's classification. The cumulative percentage of patients free of rebleeding 12 months after inclusion was 43 +/- 10 p. 100 (m +/- SD). The cause of recurrent bleeding was esophageal varices in nine patients and esophageal ulcers in five patients. The cumulative percentage of variceal rebleeding 12 months after inclusion was 61 +/- 10 p. 100. The cumulative percentages of patients free of rebleeding from varices were not significantly different between the Pugh A (64 +/- 14 p. 100) and Pugh B (56 +/- 15 p. 100) patients. The cumulative percentage of patients surviving 12 months after inclusion was 55 +/- 9 p. 100. The cause of death was not related to sclerotherapy in 11 patients. Two patients died of esophageal wall necrosis associated with mediastinitis. These two patients had received large volumes of sclerosing agent because of important bleeding during the last injection. Our results suggest that in patients without severe cirrhosis who cannot be treated by propranolol alone, the risk of rebleeding and the risk of death are high despite sclerotherapy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)