Additional Benefits Conferred by Endoscopic Sclerotherapy to Liver Cirrhosis Patients Receiving Endoscopic Variceal Ligation

Objective. Gastroesophageal varices are a direct consequence of portal hypertension in cirrhosis. The management of gastroesophageal varices has evolved over the last decade resulting in reduced mortality and morbidity rates. The study was aimed to analyze the short-term and long-term efficacy of different endoscopic methods in the treatment of gastric varices in cirrhotic patients. Methods. From January 2016 to December 2019, 135 patients with liver cirrhosis and gastric varices undergoing different endoscopic treatment protocols were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into three groups according to endoscopic variceal ligation, endoscopic sclerotherapy, and a combination of both, respectively. Main outcomes including the overall response rate, hemostasis, short- and long-term rebleeding (3 months before and after treatment), complication, blood pressure, heart rate, portal venous pressure (PVP), portal vein diameter (PVD), portal vein velocity (PVV), portal vein blood flow (PVF) detected by ultrasound, recurrence rate, and mortality were analyzed after treatments. Results. The overall response rate in the combined group was higher than that in the ligation group and the sclerotherapy group ( P < 0.05 ). The incidence rate of complications in the combined group and the ligation group was lower than that in the sclerotherapy group ( P < 0.05 ). After treatment, the PVP, PVD, and PVF were reduced in the combined group compared with the ligation group and the sclerotherapy group, while the PVV was not ( P < 0.05 ). Lower rates of long-term rebleeding, recurrence, and mortality were noted in the combined group compared to the ligation group and the sclerotherapy group ( P < 0.05 ). Conclusion. Endoscopic variceal ligation combined with endoscopic sclerotherapy is more effective than both alone in treating liver cirrhosis and gastric varices. The combined therapy contributed to reduced short-term and long-term rebleeding rate, decreased long-term recurrence rate, and mortality.

Successful Endoscopic Sclerotherapy Using Lauromacrogol Injection for Laryngopharyngeal Hemangioma

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the efficacy and safety of local lauromacrogol injection in the treatment of hypopharyngeal hemangioma. Methods: From Aug 2015 to May 2021, 13 consecutive patients suffering from hypopharyngeal hemangioma underwent local lauromacrogol injection assisted by endoscope in this prospective clinical series. All patients were followed up regularly and the therapeutic effects and complications were observed. Results: A total 13 of patients were enrolled, including 11 men and 2 women, with an average age of 48.5 years (range 25–76 years). The sizes of the hemangioma ranged from 0.5 × 1.0 cm to 3.5 × 3.5 cm. After 1 to 40 months of follow-up, 12 patients were cured and 1 was significantly effective after 1 to 4 (mean 1.8) injections. All patients suffered varying degrees of postoperative pain or foreign body sensation. 3 patients were significantly affected by local swelling of the injection site, 2 of which underwent prophylactic tracheostomy postoperatively and 1 patient returned to the ward with endotracheal intubation postoperatively. No complications such as mucosal ulceration, fever, and allergies occurred. Conclusions: Lauromacrogol injection is a safe and effective method to treat hypopharyngeal hemangioma.

Retrograde Endoscopic Sclerotherapy for Management of Internal Haemorrhoids

BACKGROUND Haemorrhoids are one of the most common anorectal conditions encountered in clinical practice and are recognised as a common cause of rectal bleeding, perianal itching and anal discomfort. Therapeutic treatment of haemorrhoids needs to be tailored according to grades and complication of haemorrhoids, patient preference and expertise of procedure. Very limited data is available regarding effectiveness of retrograde endoscopic injection sclerotherapy for the management of bleeding haemorrhoids. We wanted to study the effectiveness of retrograde endoscopic sclerotherapy (REST) for the management of various grades of bleeding internal haemorrhoids. METHODS A prospective study, included 87 patients with Gr. I, II and Gr. III symptomatic bleeding internal haemorrhoids. They were subjected to retrograde endoscopic sclerotherapy using Inj. Polidocanol to study its effectiveness in controlling bleeding. Effectiveness of the procedure was defined by stoppage of bleeding at 3 months follow up. RESULTS Bleeding stopped in 95.3 % cases after retrograde endoscopic sclerotherapy at 3 months follow up. No significant complications were observed with the procedure during the study period. CONCLUSIONS Retrograde endoscopic sclerotherapy is a safe, well tolerated and effective modality for the management of bleeding internal haemorrhoids. KEYWORDS Haemorrhoids, Retrograde Endoscopic Sclerotherapy

W. Dean Warren, MD, FACS, Father of Selective Shunts for Variceal Hemorrhage: Lessons Learned

Dr Dean Warren was born in 1924 and died prematurely from cancer in 1989. He was a man of uncommon intelligence, wit, collegiality, integrity, honesty, and a true leader in American surgery. In 1966, he and his colleagues (Drs Zeppa and Fomon) presented a new concept for surgical shunts to control variceal hemorrhage while maintaining portal perfusion or hepatopetal blood flow. He termed this new shunt the distal splenorenal shunt (DSRS), which was the first selective shunt invented. The DSRS selective shunt was a brilliant improvement over the total shunt concept proposed by Nicolai Eck and was practiced worldwide during the 1980s. In a space of 2 decades, Dr Warren’s pioneering work would show that the selective DSRS was superior to total shunts for treatment of portal hypertension, but that endoscopic sclerotherapy was a better first-line treatment for variceal hemorrhage than his own creation. His absolute adherence to the principles he espoused in his presidential address to the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract in 1973 were employed in his research and treatment of patients. This paper details Dr Warren’s extraordinary research accomplishments and sets a lesson for us that well-designed clinical trials including randomization are essential in the advancement of the care of surgical patients.