TY - JOUR
T1 - Prophylactic Sclerotherapy of Large Esophageal Varices
AU - Santangelo, William C.
AU - Dueno, Maria I.
AU - Estes, Boyce L.
AU - Krejs, Guenter J.
PY - 1988/3/31
Y1 - 1988/3/31
N2 - We randomly assigned 95 patients with large esophageal varices (Grade 3 or 4) who had not previously had upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding to two groups: 49 received intravariceal sclerotherapy, and 46 were followed as controls. Over a mean follow-up of 13 months there was no difference between the sclerotherapy group and the control group in mortality (24.4 percent) or any significant difference in average hospital stay per month (3.0 vs. 2.6 days). Sclerotherapy was associated with significantly more episodes of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (26 vs. 10 episodes, P<0.05); 75 percent of deaths in the sclerotherapy group were related to bleeding, as compared with 18 percent in the control group. An additional 54 patients with cirrhosis who did not qualify for the study were also followed — 20 with small varices and 34 with none. Mortality was 20 and 15 percent, respectively; no deaths were due to bleeding. We conclude that prophylactic sclerotherapy does not provide clinical benefit to patients with large esophageal varices. (N Engl J Med 1988; 318:814–8.)
AB - We randomly assigned 95 patients with large esophageal varices (Grade 3 or 4) who had not previously had upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding to two groups: 49 received intravariceal sclerotherapy, and 46 were followed as controls. Over a mean follow-up of 13 months there was no difference between the sclerotherapy group and the control group in mortality (24.4 percent) or any significant difference in average hospital stay per month (3.0 vs. 2.6 days). Sclerotherapy was associated with significantly more episodes of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (26 vs. 10 episodes, P<0.05); 75 percent of deaths in the sclerotherapy group were related to bleeding, as compared with 18 percent in the control group. An additional 54 patients with cirrhosis who did not qualify for the study were also followed — 20 with small varices and 34 with none. Mortality was 20 and 15 percent, respectively; no deaths were due to bleeding. We conclude that prophylactic sclerotherapy does not provide clinical benefit to patients with large esophageal varices. (N Engl J Med 1988; 318:814–8.)
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U2 - 10.1056/NEJM198803313181304
DO - 10.1056/NEJM198803313181304
M3 - Article
C2 - 3281001
AN - SCOPUS:0023857705
SN - 0028-4793
VL - 318
SP - 814
EP - 818
JO - New England Journal of Medicine
JF - New England Journal of Medicine
IS - 13
ER -