A modified sclerosing needle for the sclerotherapy of upper gastrointestinal bleeding

A modified instrument that permits simultaneous endoscopic irrigation and sclerotherapy of a bleeding site in the gastrointestinal tract under direct visualisation is presented. To date, the system has been used in 12 patients. Five cases of grade III esophageal varices have been treated and in three cases of acute bleeding, definitive arrest of the bleeding was achieved. In seven cases of acute upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage presenting with gastric ulcer (n = 2 Forrest-Ia and n = 2 Forrest-Ib) and duodenal ulcer (n = 3 Forrest-Ib) bleeding was successfully stopped. The system is easy to handle, reliable in clinical practice, can be employed anywhere and the instrument is inexpensive.