[Fiberendoscopic sclerosis of esophageal varices: results in 31 cases]

In a 32 months period, 31 patients having esophageal varices, 29 of which were with an acute episode of digestive hemorrhage coming from those varices, had undergone fiberendoscopic sclerotherapy. The hemorrhage stopped in 24 patients (82,7%), 17 (58,6%) of which are over one year without bleeding. Complications were minimal, not having major complication imputable to the method. Global mortality was from 8 patients (25,8%) being in 5 (16,3%) attributable to a varicose returning, and in the rest, to other causes. The authors believe that fiberendoscopic sclerosis of esophageal varices is an interesting alternative for the treatment of the bleeding episodes provoked by those varices, because of the high mortality of the surgery in the same eventuality.