[Results following endoscopic paravasal long-term sclerosing of esophageal varices]

Our experiences confirm that with endoscopical paravasal longterm sclerosing of esophageal varices the incidence of recidive bleeding can be clearly reduced and the probability of survival of the patients treated with this method can be improved. Recidive bleeding occurred in 38% of those patients treated with longterm sclerosing, in a conservatively treated group, on the other hand, in 61% of the cases. At the end of the observation period (January 1980 to December 1984) two thirds of the patients treated with sclerosing remained alive, in the control group, however, only one half of 71 patients survived. This favourable result can be attributed to reduced mortality because of bleeding, since the mortality of coma hepaticum and of other rare causes of death is nearly equal in both groups of patients.