[Elastic band ligation: preliminary experience in esophagogastric varices]

Endoscopic ligation is a new technique that shows an efficacy for acute hemorrhage and prevention similar to sclerotherapy. Its principal advantage is the smaller number of complications (2%), which seem to be related to the presence of post-treatment ulcers which are indeed more extensive but more superficial. In our preliminary study on 8 patients, eradication of varices in 62.5% was obtained. The mean number of bands placed at each ligation session was of 2.4 +/- 0.96 and the mean number of treatment sessions to achieve the eradication was 3.4 +/- 1.5. The complications that appear during the positioning of bands, a minimum bleeding was observed during the polyp formation, and in one occasion, the partial detachment of an eschar followed the bleeding was also observed. Rebleeding occurred in two patients (25%), and in other patient, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis was observed. The two patients who presented recurrent variceal bleeding, received a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt to control their hemorrhage.