The role of drug treatment in variceal bleeding

Pharmacological management of acute variceal hemorrhage appears to be effective in patients with liver cirrhosis. Somatostatin and presumably its longer-acting analog, octreotide, are more efficient and safer than other vasoconstrictors like vasopressin, terlipressin or their combination with nitroglycerin. Drug treatment, however, usually represents only a valuable adjunct to other measures to stop bleeding such as endoscopic variceal sclerotherapy. Prophylaxis of first bleeding by beta-blockade appears justified in patients at a high risk of bleeding which still has to be defined more precisely. Prevention of recurrent hemorrhage can be effective in some but not in all of the patients with liver cirrhosis and a first bleeding episode. Treatment of patients with good liver function under direct control of the wedged hepatic vein pressure gradient presumably will reduce the failure rate of prophylaxis with beta-blockade.