[Another source of hemorrhage--risks for patients with esophageal varices]

The authors treated during the past three years 312 patients with oesophageal varices after the first haemorrhage. All patients were treated by endoscopic sclerotization of oesophageal varices and drugs which reduce the excessive portal pressure. After a minimum of two sclerotherapeutic sessions, following control of acute haemorrhage, the authors observed a relapse of haemorrhage from the upper gastrointestinal tract in 38 patients. In 20 of them the relapse of haemorrhage was again from oesophageal varices, but in 18 patients it was of different origin and would not be affected by classical treatment with a Sengstaken tube. The authors draw attention to the necessity of emergency endoscopy in these patients and to the fact that possible postponement of rational treatment, e.g. in duodenal ulcers insertion of a tube, may threaten the patient's life.