Controversies in the Management of Bleeding Esophageal Varices

THIS two-part article briefly presents the current understanding of both emergency management of actively bleeding esophageal varices and long-term care of varices that have bled and those that have never bled.Esophageal varices result from portal hypertension, which in turn has a number of possible causes. Their prevalence varies geographically. The most common cause of portal hypertension worldwide is probably schistosomiasis. The prognosis is usually good with the proper treatment, but the condition is rare in Western countries. Western patients, whose portal hypertension is usually caused by alcoholic cirrhosis, tend to have a poor prognosis, with few surviving for more . . .